


Three Nights on Yavin 4

by BatuuPrincess



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Grief/Mourning, In Universe, Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Semi-Public Sex, Shower Sex, Slavery, Yavin 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:21:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 55,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25823575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatuuPrincess/pseuds/BatuuPrincess
Summary: Poe Dameron is not okay.Three years after turning down an offer to join the Resistance, Poe is right back where he started: working on his dad’s farm, manning the booth at the farmer’s market, and picking fights he has no hope of winning.When a pretty young rebel falls out of the sky, Poe’s entire world is turned upside down.Rey is everything Poe is not - driven, confident, wholly dedicated to the cause. Or maybe she’s just everything he once wanted to be.While she waits for extraction, Poe gives her a place to hide and she gives him a new perspective on the galaxy, the war, and his place in both. So when Rey leaves and the First Order makes its big move, Poe must decide what’s worth saving.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey
Comments: 498
Kudos: 211





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kday426](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kday426/gifts).



> Ah, it's finally here! 
> 
> First off, let me say that I'm so excited to share this. It's been in the works since June 16 (yes, I checked) when the lovely kday426 came to the discord with a few innocent words about Farmers Market!Poe. For some reason, my mind caught fire and this fic was born. No, it is definitely not what she (or I to be honest) was expecting, but it's a wild ride, I promise you. 
> 
> As per usual, I was aiming for around 5 chapters, then 10, and now the goal is 15 (and I'm about 90% finished with the writing), so my inability to be concise has once again worked in the readers' favor. I really, really hope you enjoy this even half as much as I've enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> So without further ado, I present what I've lovingly been calling "Poe Dameron is not okay" aka Three Nights on Yavin 4.

Poe let out a grunt as he hefted the final bushel of koyo onto the back of his dad’s beat up old speeder. It was bad enough he had to haul the damn things out here in the morning, and now, after six hours spent sweating in the Yavinese sun, he was forced to do it all over again. What was the point of sitting out here all day if he came home with all the merchandise?

None. There was no point in wasting an entire day out here when both he and his father knew he’d just have to pack it up and take it all back in the end, a fact Poe had so helpfully pointed out to him this morning. And his dad ignored.

Leaning against the stall, he tried to stretch out his bad shoulder, rolling it over and over again. The old wound had been acting up more and more these days. Just one of the many joys of getting older, he supposed. A slight commotion drew his attention to the other end of the square, and he looked up in time to see the reason nobody came to the market anymore.

Stormtroopers, six in total, had paired off to patrol the square, their mere presence sending any prospective buyers scattering like womp rats at target practice.

Poe watched through narrowed eyes as they approached the flower stand two down, knocking over a display of bioluminescent orchids out of spite. 

“Let me see a permit.” 

Poe rolled his eyes. Dick and Dickless over here couldn’t hack it at a First Order military installation, so they had to get off by terrorizing helpless civilians in the Outer Rim. Pathetic.

“I said, let me see a permit,” the one on the left repeated. He seemed especially excited by the quivering woman in front of him. Poe decided he was Dickless.

“I d-don’t-” stammered old Lina, her voice wavering. “The New Republic--”

“The New Republic isn’t here,” said Dick. “Now show us a permit, or we’ll have to shut you down.” He reached for his baton, the unspoken threat lingering in the air.

Since when did troopers grow a personality? Must have been away from the mothership for too long. Well, he supposed he had to be the one to put them in their place.

Poe cracked his knuckles. 

No. This was not his fight. The New Republic had made that very clear three years ago after the Yissira Zyde.

 _Keep your head down and your nose clean_ , he reminded himself, repeating his father’s directive from that morning as he broke down the stand. It wasn’t that complicated, just a single folding table he loaded into the back of the speeder all while keeping one ear on the ongoing exchange.

“I’ve never needed one before,” insisted Lina. Good for her, standing her ground. “I don’t even sell off-world!”

Dickless leaned over the table, intent on joining the fun. “Well, the rules have changed.” 

“Time’s up,” declared Dick.

_Keep your head down and your nose clean keep your head down and your nose clean keep--_

_Fuck it_ , he thought as Dick raised his baton, Poe rushing forward before he had a chance to think it through.

“Gentleman,” he said, slapping on his most charming smile as he put his body between the troopers and Lina’s livelihood. “We’re all reasonable here. I’m sure we can come to an agreement.” He dug a handful of credits out of his pocket, offering them up to men in front of him.

“Are you trying to bribe an officer of the First Order?” 

Shit, these two were really on a power trip. As such, Poe couldn’t be held responsible for the next words out of his mouth. 

“I don’t know, I sure as hells don’t see any officers around here. Just grunts as far as the eye can see.”

Dickless took special offense at that. Probably because he was dickless. Men like that always had to overcompensate. “What did you just say?”

“I said, I don’t see any officers here.” He spoke slowly, over enunciating each word for maximum effect. “And then insulted your rank.”

His last thought before the punches started flying was that Kes was going to be so disappointed in him.

“Dameron?”

Poe looked up with his one good eye, the other nearly swollen shut beneath a bacta patch thanks to a First Order baton. “Yeah?”

“You made bail. You’re free to go.” Aden opened the cell with a smirk. “Same time next week?”

Poe winked with his one good eye. “You know it.”

“No, no, not same time next week,” called Kes’s familiar voice from the front of the station. 

Poe walked out from the back to find his dad chatting with the head of the local civilian defense force, the two men abruptly cutting off as he came into view.

Griffus gave him a hearty slap on the back. “Poe! We have got to stop meeting like this.”

“What? You don’t enjoy our little chats anymore?” Poe gave him his best smirk and held out a hand. “My personal effects, please.”

Griffus handed him a baggie with his chronometer, datapad, and the handful of credits he’d tried to give to the troopers, Poe emptying it in short order. This was not his first rodeo. Hells, this wasn’t even his first rodeo this week.

“Enough,” said Kes, looking embarrassed enough for the both of them. Though Poe had no idea why; Griffus was a family friend and had been more than happy to let Poe’s minor offenses slide dating back to his misspent youth. “I don’t think spending half the night in jail is anything to joke about.”

“Oh, go easy on him, Kes. If we didn’t have Poe here picking fights with the troopers or brawling at Gully’s, we’d have nothing to do at all.” 

That seemed to pique his dad’s interest. “Is it that bad?”

“It’s not good.” Griffus leaned in closer, dropping his voice conspiratorially. “Last month, there were three. Last week, six. Now there’s twelve. I’m not gonna lie, I don’t like where this is heading.”

They were talking about the stormtroopers, Poe was sure of it. “You think they’re planning something,” he said, the night suddenly getting a lot more interesting.

Griffus exchanged a look with Kes. “I think I’ve said too much. Now, get out of here before I have to start charging you for bail.”

“We’re going.” Kes nodded, tugging on Poe’s sleeve.

“Hold on, what were you going to say?” asked Poe, shrugging off his father’s grip. 

His dad only tried harder. “Now,” he said, practically dragging Poe from the station.

“Why did you do that?” Poe let himself be led out the door, but that didn’t mean he was happy about it. “He was about to tell us something.”

Kes waited until they were in the cool evening air to turn to him. “Let’s get you home. You look like shit.”

“You should see the other guys.”

“I did. They were standing around bragging about kicking your ass without a scratch on them.”

Poe scoffed. “I scuffed one of them pretty good. And anyways, I had them right where I wanted them.”

But Kes didn’t find him amusing. “This is not a joke, Poe. You’re lucky they just handed you over to Griffus and didn’t send you to one of those camps.”

“Dad, it was a couple of low-level stormtroopers. They barely have the authority to hand me over Griffus, let alone send me to a prison camp.”

“Still, you shouldn’t be antagonizing them. Are you drunk again? Is that why you’re doing this?”

Shame bubbled up at the accusation, Poe’s face heating. “They were terrorizing innocent civilians!”

“We’re all civilians!” shouted Kes, shaking his head in exasperation. “This isn’t a war, Poe!”

“Not yet,” he muttered under his breath.

“Excuse me?”

Poe raised his voice, carefully enunciating every word. “I said not yet.”

“I don’t know how to help you. I get that you’re angry, but I don’t know how to help you.”

“I don’t need any help.”

“Then what are you doing here? It’s been three years since you left the service. You say you don’t want to join the Resistance. Fine. But you can’t stop the First Order by beating up stormtroopers with your bare hands. One of these days, you’re going to say the wrong thing to the wrong trooper and they’re not going to hesitate to take out their blaster and end you.” By the time he finished, there were tears in Kes’s eyes, the older man swallowing them down as he looked toward the ground.

Poe stood in stunned silence. He hadn’t seen his dad like this, well, since his mom died. 

No, that wasn’t entirely accurate. These fights used to be a daily occurrence on the Dameron farm when Poe was growing up. Before Poe had run away. Joined a gang. Eventually got his head on straight. Kes had mellowed quite a bit since then. Until tonight.

“Dad…”

Kes put up a hand. “I don’t want to hear it. Take a walk, go grab the speeder you left in the market, and I’ll see you at home. I think we can both use a few minutes to cool down.”

At that, he turned and walked away without another word, leaving Poe to stew in his own guilt.

He scrubbed a hand over his face. When had it gotten so bad? When had _he_ gotten so bad? There had been a time when he’d shown promise, when he’d look to the stars and known exactly where he belonged. Now, he was a mere shell of that man, back to where he started at 16. His dad was right, if he didn’t figure something out, and soon, he was headed for disaster. Again.

He shook off that feeling of impending doom and headed toward the square. No time like the present to start.

It was a cool evening, the days growing shorter and colder as they moved into the rainy season. The sun had long since set, so it was the bloodred orb of Yavin lighting his way to the darkened square.

At this late hour, the square was empty, all evidence of both the market and his little skirmish gone when he arrived. Well, with the exception of his dad’s abandoned speeder.

He finished securing the bushels of koyo and was about to head back to the farm when a burst of sound tore through the silent square.

A couple stumbled out of the nearby cantina arm in arm, a vaguely familiar song blasting out the open door. Inside, he could hear music and laughter and mindless chatter. The sounds of a good time.

Surely, his dad wouldn’t miss him for one drink. All the old excuses came easily.

He could turn over a new leaf tomorrow. Start fresh first thing in the morning. Change didn’t happen in a day. It was a marathon, not a sprint.

He’d taken the first step toward that open door when he caught his eye on a flash of light hurtling across the sky.

A falling star. Poe smiled in spite of himself. It had been forever since he’d seen one. Still, he remembered the drill. Close your eyes and make a wish.

 _I wish_ … he thought, trying to find the words. _I wish for something good to happen._

Ok, so it was kind of lame, but vague enough that he could declare a victory over almost anything. And above all else, Poe needed a win.

When he opened his eyes, he expected to be treated to an unobstructed view of the night sky and instead found himself staring at the shooting star. And not only was it still there, it was growing closer.

Poe squinted up at the sky. 

Shit, that wasn’t a star, that was a ship. An X-wing if he had to guess. And it was on fire.

He watched in abject horror as it fell from the sky, knowing that feeling of free fall all too well. The sense of helplessness. The struggle to stay conscious as gravity worked you over. The complete and utter loss of control. Though the pilot, well he had to give them a hand as he pulled up on the stick, leveling out enough to glide away from the more populated areas and toward the jungle canopy. 

“Fuck,” he said as it disappeared beneath the trees, the echoing crash a few breathless seconds later spurring him into action. 

He hopped into the speeder and cranked the engine. This night just got a lot more interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gee, I wonder who that could be?
> 
> Check back on Wednesday for the meet not-so-cute, when Poe learns that no good deed goes unpunished. And feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. I'm like Tinkerbell, I run on validation (lol).


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe saves the pilot but gets a lot more than he bargained for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey! I hope you are enjoying this tale so far. Huge thanks to everyone who kudosed and commented and read this. Sometimes these things feel a little like screaming into the void, but you guys are keeping this writer well fed.
> 
> Here is the meet (not-so) cute! These two have a very interesting relationship in this story, so I'm super excited to get some interaction to share. Also, yes I read the Poe book so I know that this isn't how light speed skipping works, and no I don't care. The actual explanation was fairly boring and I liked the one I had already written better (lol).
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy chapter 2!

The old speeder whined in protest as he pushed it as fast as it would go, taking off for the edge of the jungle and the plume of black smoke rising into the night sky. From there, it wasn’t hard to follow the path of destruction, a string of burning massassis lighting the way to the wreckage.

It was an X-wing all right, the model older than what he’d flown back in the NRDF. So it wasn’t New Republic. Interesting.

But now was not the time to worry about allegiances, not when acrid black smoke had started to fill the clearing, stealing his sight and choking the air from his lungs. It was now or never if he wanted to save the pilot.

Covering his mouth with his sleeve, he dove into the wreckage, dodging flames and smoke alike to find the pilot within. He was still strapped to the seat, his orange jumpsuit a beacon in the thick air as Poe fumbled over the buckles. Orange, not blue. Definitely not New Republic. 

It took him three tries to get the man out, dragging his body clear of the ship with only seconds to spare before it exploded into a fireball right before his eyes.

Panting, coughing, sputtering, he took gulping breaths of fresh air trying to fill his lungs. Every breath burned. Oh gods, that was close. He looked down at the pilot’s unmoving form. Shit, he probably should have checked to make sure the guy was alive before he risked life and limb to pull him from the wreckage. No point risking your life for a dead man.

Poe watched for a few tense seconds, waiting for the pilot’s chest to rise and fall before the man took a deep, gasping breath, struggling to fill his lungs. 

He was disoriented, panicking as he looked around the clearing, thrashing against Poe’s grip. Probably blinded by the damn visor.

“Let me get this off. Hold on, man.” Though it became clear as Poe slid the helmet from his head that the pilot wasn’t a man at all, but a slip of a woman, and a pretty one at that.  He cocked his head, taking in wide, dark eyes and creamy, pale skin buried beneath the soot on her face. It was a nice face. “And who are you?”

She took one look at his bruised and bloody face and loosed a blood curdling scream before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she promptly passed back out.

Poe blinked in shock. Well, that could have gone better. Between the smoke and the explosion and the scream, they’d probably attracted the attention of every being from here to the Core, not to mention whoever shot her down in the first place. They could be closing in on them as they sat, the burning trees a beacon against the night sky.

He had to get her back to the farm.

Looking at her prone form, he weighed the risks of moving her, the sound of a ship overhead making his mind up for him.  Sliding an arm under shoulders and knees, he lifted her into his arms and took off toward the speeder. 

Even though she weighed next to nothing in his arms, it was still a slow go, Poe forced to dodge branches and roots and the occasional startled woolamander as the breath burned in his lungs. His shoulder, already aching thanks to the koyo, was positively throbbing now, even the woman’s slight weight stretching it to the breaking point. He could hear movement in the clearing, the rustle of foliage, people calling to each other. Distantly, he was glad he picked up her helmet on the way out. If they didn’t find anything, maybe they’d assume she’d been consumed in the explosion or ejected out.

Without warning, he heard the jungle rustling around him, heavy boots on the ground, the crash of multiple bodies through the dense greenery. The sounds of pursuit. Of course he couldn’t be that lucky.

He put on a burst of speed as the edge of the jungle came into view, the speeder sitting right where he’d left it like a lifeline.

There was no time to think or set her down gently among the bushels of koyo, so he dropped her as quickly as possible, Poe having enough forethought to cover her in a tarp before heading for the driver’s seat.

Then he was off, forcing himself to go a reasonable speed as he made his way through the empty streets. No need to draw any more attention to himself.  Naturally, that lasted all of thirty seconds.

A line of white plastoid stood not fifty feet in front of him, blocking the path to the farm. Poe slowed the speeder. No luck with his heart.

“State your purpose,” barked one of the troopers, several others going around to inspect the back of the speeder.

From behind him, he heard the familiar sounds of Gully’s, still going strong at this hour. How he wished he’d walked through those doors 30 seconds sooner, missing the X-wing altogether. By now, he’d be a little drunk and a whole hell of a lot less stressed. Though, that did give him an idea.

Poe swallowed, letting his eyes droop. “Stopped by the cantina after the market,” he slurred, hoping he was convincing. “Just heading home for the night.”

“Are you drunk?”

“Noooo.” He dragged the word out, trying to ignore the rustling in the back. If they picked up that tarp…

“Let’s see some identification.”

Poe hesitated. That was exactly what he was trying to avoid. 

Another trooper stepped forward. “Wait a second, I recognize him.” He gave a chuckle. It was Dickless from that afternoon. “This is that idiot farmer whose ass we kicked. Let him go, he’s harmless.”

Poe bit back the shame and anger at his words, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand. Getting him and the girl out of here in one piece. Though that wouldn’t stop him from running the trooper's words over and over in his mind that night when he was trying to sleep.

The troopers stepped aside. “Move along.”

Poe didn’t release the breath he’d been holding until they were safely ensconced the barn, the door shut behind them. Immediately, he collapsed against the seat, heart racing as the adrenaline drained from his body.

That was close. Too close. If those troopers took their heads out of their asses long enough to remember his name, it wouldn’t be that hard to put two and two together. Missing pilot. Man in the area of the crash. They'd be knocking down the door in no time. 

But he couldn’t worry about that, not when the sounds of a struggle from the back let him know that his visitor was awake.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he said, racing to uncover her. It probably wasn’t comforting to wake up wrapped in tarp. “Take it easy. You could be hurt.”

Her eyes were wild in the light of the barn. They were also lighter than he remembered. Hazel, not brown. Captivating.

“Where am I?” she asked, panic in her voice. 

A hum rose out of nowhere. Vibrations tickled along his very bones. Behind him, tools and old caf cans and equipment rattled on their shelves. He would have thought it was a groundquake, the very planet joining the myriad of things that day intent on making his life hell, but he recognized a strange feeling in the air. Like bigger things were at play in the universe. Like the tree in his backyard.

“You’re a Jedi,” he said, his voice barely more than a breath.

The woman took a deep, steadying breath and that feeling abruptly cut off. The room settled. Everything dropped back in its place with varied crashes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The look on her face dared him to contradict her.

He was looking at a relic. An extinct species. A miracle. A stubborn miracle, but a miracle nonetheless. An old memory tickled at the back of his subconscious. 

_ If we can get to Luke before they do, bring him on our side, we can win this war. And there’s a girl we found, strong with the Force, but she needs training... _

He swatted it away, willing it to stay buried where it belonged. “Ok, then let’s start with something simple. What’s your name?”

Her eyes narrowed in mistrust. 

She was pretty. Like, really pretty. All bright eyes and pert nose under the filth coating her face. Even with her looking at him like he was some sort of criminal.

Poe chuckled, looking down with a shake of his head. “Come on, I saved your life. At least give me your name.”

He watched her expression soften. “Rey.”

“Rey…” he trailed off, hoping she’d fill in the blank.

Her eyes narrowed again. “Just Rey.”

Ok, the whole cloak and dagger routine was getting a little old. 

“Who are you?” she asked, watching his every move. Poe was acutely aware that she could end him without so much as a second thought, and as such, made no sudden movements.

“Poe. Just Poe.” But that didn’t mean he couldn’t be just as stubborn as she was.

That earned him a huffed laugh from his guest. From Rey. “Where am I?”

“A barn.”

She gave him a look.

“On Yavin 4.”

She looked a little taken aback at that information. “Outer Rim?”

“I take it that was not your destination?”

He could see the wheels turning in her brain, weighing how much to tell him. “I was lightspeed skipping. Guess I forgot to carry a one somewhere along the way.”

“Wait, you were doing skip calculations in your head?”

She looked at him like he was nuts. “That’s the only way to do it if you want to live. No navicomputer can keep up with that.” Her face broke into a cocky grin. “What, don’t you?”

Poe bristled at the implication. Of course he did, but he knew from experience it was a rare enough skill to take note. “Like you said, it’s the only way to do it and live to tell the tale.” There was a hint of grudging respect in her eyes, even if he wasn’t sure that she fully believed him. It was that hint that emboldened him to ask the next question on his mind. “They teach you that in the Resistance?”

Rey’s face immediately shuttered. “Who said anything about the Resistance?”

Right again. He was really on a roll. “Your flightsuit. Last time I checked, the New Republic still wore blue.”

One second stretched into two as they continued to stare each other down, Poe wondering what she saw in his banged-up face. Could she read him as easily as those stormtroopers had? Declare him a nonthreat with a wave of her hand?

Her voice broke him out of his own thoughts. 

“Well, this has been fun, but I really must be going now.” Without warning, she sat up, a painful looking wince sending Poe into action.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he said, easing her back onto the flatbed of the speeder. “You were just in a pretty major crash. We should probably get you a scan or something.”

Her face screwed up with that stubbornness he was already starting to associate with her. “I did not crash.”

“I pulled your unconscious body out of a burning wreckage that fell from the sky. It was the definition of a crash.”

“It was a rough landing,” she insisted, trying to get up again. Poe gently nudged her back down.

“Your mangled X-wing begs to differ.” Poe ran a hand through his hair, already exasperated by the ungrateful rebel. “Crash, rough landing, call it whatever you’d like. The fact remains, you aren’t going anywhere in that ship. And you’re hurt. Let me get my droid and make sure there aren’t any major injuries.”

Apparently, Rey couldn’t argue with that logic, so she crossed her arms and dropped back down to a reclined position. 

“Can I at least not wait in this thing?” she asked, glaring at him from her back. “There are bugs and it stinks like shit.”

Apparently, the old saying was true. No good deed went unpunished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo how are you liking these two? Let me know in the comments!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe patches up his guest, and everyone gets a little more than they bargained for when Kes is thrown in the mix.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week, another round of updates! Trying this one first thing in the morning (for me) so I don't forget to post later today. Huge shout out to those who are reading this. It doesn't appear to be that popular, but damn if I don't love this story anyway. Hopefully, you guys are enjoying it too.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Of course, BB-8 was nowhere to be found.

Having decided that her request was reasonable, he had very carefully helped her to a seated position before going off in search of his wayward droid. It didn’t do much for the smell, but at least she wasn’t laying in it anymore. 

Now, he was racing the clock, knowing enough about her already to realize that she’d lose patience and take things into her own hands if left to her own devices.

Where was that damn droid?

Poe found him behind the tool shed, doing only gods knew what. He really needed to stop leaving him to his own devices.

“Bee!” he called, the droid perking up immediately. “Come on, I need your help.”

He didn’t need to look back to see if the droid was following. BB-8 always had his back.

They had been together since Poe’s early days at the academy, the two nearly inseparable from the moment they met. For years, it was them against the world, never one without the other. So when Poe heard the droid was slated for decommission after he left the NRDF, there was no other option in his mind. Bee was his, and there was no way Poe would let him hit the scrap pile thanks to what the New Republic deemed “malfunctioning subroutines.” Poe had another name for it: loyalty.

Next to him, Bee beeped a question.

“I need you to do a medscan on a friend.” Friend was stretching it a bit, but Poe really didn’t want to get into the whole woman who fell out of the sky thing. “I want to make sure she’s not hurt.”

He received a snide noise in return.

Poe laughed, throwing open the barn door. “Yes, I know you’re not a med droid, but desperate times and all that.” 

Bee’s next question had him screwing up his face in confusion.

“What do you mean, where is she? Check your photoreceptor, she’s right…” But the words died on his lips when he looked up to find the bed of the speeder empty, his heart immediately starting to race.

She’d taken off. He’d left her for five minutes and she had taken off. His mind immediately went to the worst case scenarios. She could hurt herself worse, end up dead on the side of the road somewhere. Or get herself caught and lead the First Order right to them.

But he didn’t have to stew long, not when he heard Rey’s voice coming from the other side of the barn.

“You have an A-wing?”

She was standing in front of the ship in question, the sheet that had been covering it laying on the floor next to her feet.

He gave himself a single breath to be relieved before the anger took over. “What are you doing up? I thought we agreed you should take it easy until we could get a scan.”

“No, you agreed with yourself. I ignored you.” Poe’s blood pressure skyrocketed. “This is ancient. What model is it?”

“Can you stop snooping around for 30 seconds and just let BB-8 scan you?”

Rey turned, noticing BB-8 for the first time. “Oh, hey. Your antenna’s bent.”

She talked a good game, but it was quite obvious as she crouched down to fix Bee’s antenna that she was holding her arm a little funny, too close to her body, a little stiff. 

“There you go,” she said, trying desperately to keep the pain off her face. 

By the time she straightened up, there were beads of sweat on her brow, her breathing a little uneven. 

Poe smirked. “Are you ready to let him scan you now?”

Rey shot him A Look. “Fine.”

“Go for it, buddy,” said Poe, the whole thing taking all of 10 seconds before BB-8 gave a list of injuries. 

Poe opened his mouth to translate, only to have Rey talk over him. “A broken rib and a shoulder sprain,” she said. “See, I told you it was nothing.”

A broken rib and messed up shoulder definitely weren’t nothing, Poe could attest to that, but he also knew it was a lost cause trying to convince this woman otherwise. So he settled on his next pressing question. “You speak binary?”

“Doesn’t everyone?” she shot back, that infuriating smirk on her face. “Now are you going to tell me why you’re hiding a mint condition RZ-1 in your barn or am I going to have to start guessing?”

Poe shook his head, picking the sheet up from the floor. “It was my mother’s, not that it’s any of your business,” he said, dropping the cloth back over the ship. After everything today, he couldn’t bear to look at the thing. “She was a pilot in the war.”

“The first war,” Rey shot back immediately.

“The only war,” Poe gritted out. Sure, he’d said nearly the same thing to his father not even two hours ago, but faced with her smug surety, he found himself taking up the opposite position. Gods, it was like this woman was engineered to infuriate him. “Are you going to let me tend to your wounds or are we going to continue 20 questions?”

“Why not both?”

Poe rolled his eyes. 

But he was pleasantly surprised a second later when she looked at him with a question in those bright eyes. “So, how do we do this?”

Right. He hadn’t actually gotten that far. “Uh, maybe sit on the bench?” Then, more confidently, “I’ll find some bacta patches.”

Rey watched him warily, but did as he said, BB-8 following her like a little duckling. He beeped questions at her, and she answered with a patience that she hadn’t shown Poe in the half hour or so they’d been acquainted. It annoyed him more than he cared to admit.

It was a testament to his father’s preparedness that the first aid kit in the barn was fully stocked, Poe finding a couple of bacta patches big enough to work.

“These should be…” he started, trailing off as soon as he turned to face Rey.

Miles of creamy white skin. That was the first thing he saw when he faced her. The rest of the details came in slow motion. The bright orange flight suit rolled down to her waist. The t-shirt sitting next to her on the bench. The giant purple bruise blooming from the bottom of her dark breastband down to her waist.

His brain shorted out.

And she just sat there in the calm way that soldiers did, so used to living and sleeping and changing in a unit they were completely at ease with their bodies. There was no time for modesty in an army. It had been a long time since Poe had felt like that. A long time since he’d seen that much skin on another person, especially someone as pretty as Rey.

And she was looking at him like he was crazy. “These should be what?”

Poe shook himself mentally. This was a woman who needed his help, she shouldn’t have to be ogled by a washed up pilot who still lived with his dad while she received it.

“Big enough to cover it,” he said, forcing himself to look at her injury subjectively. “But now, I’m not so sure.” He nodded toward the bruise. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” She lifted her arm, not trying to hide the wince.

He took a deep breath. Then with soft fingers, he probed along her ribcage. 

“So,” she said, the tone in her voice foretelling trouble. “What’s with the astromech? Seems a little over qualified for farm work.”

“Do you really want to be distracting me right now?”

He had no real medical training, just some basic first aid from his time in the service, but Rey’s sharp intake of breath when he hit the second from last rib told him exactly where he needed to put the patch. 

“Now who’s distracting who?” Rey chuckled, the movement ending in a grimace. 

Poe sighed as he reached for the first patch. “He was defective. The New Republic was going to scrap him.” Which was the truth. Just not all of it.

BB-8 beeped in indignation.

Rey smiled. “Your friend says differently.”

Poe shot Bee a dirty look. Traitor. 

Ignoring both her and his droid, he turned back to the task at hand, peeling the bacta patch from its wrapper.

“Fine, you don’t have to tell me. You can remain all mysterious…” She hissed through her teeth as he smoothed the patch over her ribcage. “...and broody.”

“Sorry, just one more to be safe,” he said, ignoring her comment as he quickly applied the second one. “There. How’s that feel?”

Rey made a tentative movement, only to have her face screw up in a wince. “Like I just fell out of the sky.”

Poe chuckled. “Give it a few minutes. I can get you something to use as a sling in the meantime.”

Silence descended once more as Rey reached for her discarded shirt. Poe averted his eyes. It made no sense, not when he’d been looking at her half-naked form for the past 10 minutes, but all of a sudden the whole thing felt a little too intimate.

“So, am I sleeping in the barn or…” She trailed off. When Poe looked back, she was staring at him expectantly, fully clothed once more. For the first time in minutes, it felt like he could breathe.

“Um...” Right. Now that he had saved her, he had to actually do something about her. And unfortunately leaving her out here just wasn’t an option. Maybe he should have thought this whole hero thing out a little more. “Let me check to see if the coast is clear, and then I’ll come back for you. Just stay here. Don’t move.”

BB-8 gave a rather unhelpful beep.

Poe’s face heated. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure Dad’s asleep, too. But just in case.” He couldn’t quite make his eyes meet Rey’s gaze. No doubt there would be some version of the “you’re how old and still live with your dad” look, and that was not something he needed to see right now. “I’ll be right back.”

He plunged into the cool night air a second later, gulping it down in great deep breaths. This night certainly wasn’t going as planned. Though he didn’t know exactly what he’d been expecting when he rescued a Resistance Jedi, it wasn’t this.

Rey was… well, infuriating was the first word that came to mind. With pretty being a close second. Poe tried to focus on the former and not the latter, but his traitorous mind kept flashing to that pale skin, the freckles that dotted her arms and chest, the delicate way her collarbones…

Nope. He needed to think of something else, anything else. 

It had been a long time since he’d felt _that_ way about another person, since he’d noticed anything more than the most basic features. Something about Rey made him feel like back when he was in the NRDF, before the Yissira Zyde and Mur…

Nope. That train of thought was decidedly worse. 

So he focused on the walk to the house, ears pricked for any sign or sound of First Order activity. There was no way they would give up so easily, especially when they knew her ship went down. He half expected a ship or a unit of troopers to appear in the little clearing between the house and the barn. Had they realized by now that there was no body? Or was the damage so bad that she was presumed dead?

He had to get her in the house without his dad realizing. It would be safer for him if he wasn’t involved. Poe could keep her occupied during the day and smuggle her into the house at night until someone came for her. Because of course someone would come for her. Not even the Resistance would leave a Jedi behind.

The house was night dark as he drew level with the back door. Good, that meant his dad was sleeping soundly, none the wiser to the rebel - err, refugee? - hiding in his barn. Not that he didn’t love his father, but Poe was glad to be spared yet another lecture as he stepped through the door. He’d just about had his fill today.

So when in the next breath the lights flicked on without warning to reveal his father sitting at the kitchen table, Poe understandably screamed bloody murder.

“Force, Dad! You scared the shit out of me. What are you doing sitting here alone in the dark?”

“Where were you?” asked Kes, his voice dangerously even. Poe noticed a few other things, like the way his arms were crossed over his chest and how perfectly still he was holding himself. Those signs all led to the same conclusion: Poe was in deep shit.

“I-,” he opened his mouth to explain, only to be immediately cut off by one very pissed Kes Dameron. 

“Do you know what time it is?” Poe knew enough not to interrupt Kes to answer that question. “I sent you to pick up that speeder hours ago! Can you even imagine the thoughts that were going through my head as the hours crept by?” He paused, giving a second for that to sink in. “Every day, I wonder if it's the day you don’t come home. Did you know that? Every time you’re late or you don’t show up or I get a comm from Griffus, I wonder. Had you picked a fight with the wrong person? Were you dead somewhere in a ditch? Had I finally lost you too?”

Poe’s heart squeezed at the sight of tears in his dad’s eyes. Was he really so far gone that his death wasn’t an “if,” but a “when” to his own father?

But Kes wasn’t done with him yet, not by a long shot. “I don’t know what’s going on with you today, but enough is enough. You’re a grown man. This was obnoxious when you were 16, but understandable. At 32, it’s just pathetic.”

That seemed to rouse Poe out of his stupor. “Hey. I can explain…”

Kes gave a bitter chuckle. “You always can. What is it this time? Stormtroopers terrorizing an old lady? A guy who looked at you funny in the cantina?” His eyes narrowed. “Are you drunk?”

Gods, he really wished people would stop asking him that. It made him sound like he had a problem. Which he didn’t. “No, there was this X-wing-”

This time Kes laughed for real. “An X-wing on Yavin 4? You must be drunk. Is that why you’re trying to sneak home at three in the morning?”

A creak near the back door had both men on high alert instantly, turning as one to find a sheepish looking Rey trying to sneak back out the door.

Maker, how much of that had she heard?

She winced as both men stared at her. “Sorry. You were taking so long, I got antsy.”

Poe rolled his eyes, catching a flash of orange and white behind her legs. “Hey traitor, what happened to keeping her in the barn?” 

Bee’s chirped response was a little sassier than it needed to be. Maybe there was something off about his subroutines.

“Ok, what the hells is going on here?” came Kes’s voice as he looked from Rey to Poe to BB-8. “And who is this and why is she standing in my kitchen wearing Resistance colors?”

Poe had to just shake his head and laugh. This was the exact scene he’d been trying to avoid by keeping Rey hidden. Oh well, there was no going back now. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, Dad. This is Rey. Her X-wing crashed just outside of town.”

“Your son saved my life,” added Rey, gracious for the first time in their short acquaintance. “Pulled me from the burning wreck and patched me up.”

His dad looked like he couldn’t quite believe it. “He saved your life?” Then turning to Poe, “That’s why you didn’t come home? Because you were saving her?”

Well, when he put it like that…

“It’s true,” answered Rey for him. “And I’d like to thank you for giving me a place to hide out while I wait for extraction, Mr…”

Kes seemed to remember his manners, sticking out a hand to introduce himself. “Dameron. Kes Dameron.”

Rey’s head whipped around, her eyes wide as they latched onto his. “ _You’re_ Poe Dameron?”

Well, fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh.
> 
> See you Wednesday!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The air is cleared before Kes, Poe, and Rey settle in for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the fun begins. 
> 
> Now that the setup is out of the way, I got to really sink my teeth into the premise over the next few chapters. I truly hope you enjoy.

“ _You’re_ Poe Dameron?”

Poe tried not to take offense at the incredulous way she said “you’re” like it was so unimaginable that he and Poe Dameron were one and the same. 

For some reason, Kes found this incredibly funny. “Oh, Maker,” he chuckled, giving Poe a slap on the back. Suddenly he was all smiles. It figured. “Apparently, your legend precedes you.” That had him nearly doubled in laughter. When he finally caught his breath, he turned back to the two of them. “Oh, I needed that.”

All the earlier anger and tension had bled from his face, but he still wasn’t bending over backwards to apologize to Poe. “Gee, thanks Dad.”

“Anytime.” He turned to Rey, all business. “Do you have a way to get in touch with the Resistance?”

Poe held his breath, waiting for the stubborn denials and the return of Kes’s annoyance, but they never came.

“No, my long range comms all went down with the X-wing.”

Weird, she was a lot more forthcoming with Kes than she had been with Poe. He filed it away for another time.

“Ok, since it’s the middle of the night, we’ll figure something out tomorrow. Er, today. Poe, you can show the lovely Rey to your room for the night and take the couch.” 

Poe opened his mouth to complain - it had been the world’s longest day and he was very much looking forward to sleeping in his own bed - but one look from Kes had him clamping his mouth shut. “Right. Of course.”

“Now, I am going to bed,” announced his father. “It sounds like you two have some things to discuss.”

He was gone with a knowing look and a chuckle, leaving Poe to meet Rey’s still-a-little-too-incredulous stare. 

“What?” he half snapped, his fuse extra short thanks to that conversation with his dad. And the lingering lack of apology.

“You’re Poe Dameron,” she repeated for what felt like the thousandth time that night. “The Poe Dameron.”

She was looking at him like he was something special, like that name meant something. It was almost too much to bear. 

“I used to be.” Unable to face her misplaced adoration one second longer, he turned and headed for the stairs.

She ignored the snide remark, following him down the hall. “You were the youngest person in NRDF history to be promoted to Commander. The youngest person to lead a squadron. You were Rapier One.”

“Yes, I’m well aware of both my resume and my old call sign.”

“You flew with Snap’s wife, Karé, in Rapier, didn’t you?”

“Snap and Karé are married?” Poe paused midway up the steps. He and Karé had been close, brother and sister close, back in the Navy. And he hadn’t even known she’d gotten married. How much else had he missed? He shook the feeling off almost instantly. Poe had made his choices. Now he was just living with them.

But Rey was either unable or unwilling to see how little he wanted to talk about this, not stopping even as they finished climbing the stairs. “What happened? I read all your files. You were the most promising pilot in the history of the NRDF, destined for greatness. And then one mission went south and you all but disappeared. What was the name of that ship? The Yessera...”

She said it so casually. One mission went south. Like that mission hadn’t been the defining moment of his life so far. Even three years later, the very thought of that flight stole the breath from his lungs.

“The Yissira Zyde,” he answered, almost robotically. 

Just like that, he was back there. 

_He was having fun. It was the first time they’d seen any action in weeks, and he was actually having fun bringing down those TIEs, working in perfect concert with his squadron to take them out one by one. It was exhilarating, the adrenaline pumping through his veins._

_He had just taken out two more TIEs when he noticed the glow rising from the stern of the Yissira Zyde. The ship was preparing to jump._

_“Muran! Iolo! Break port!” he shouted through the comms._

_Iolo went up and Muran went down. It was a 50/50 shot, a guess. Iolo guessed right._

_Poe watched in slow motion as the Yissira Zyde stretched, time stopping for a second before it snapped out of existence, the wake of its jump shearing the upper and lower S-foils of Muran’s bird from the hull._

_Karé’s panicked screams reached his ear. “Muran! Muran, eject!”_

_But it was too late. Rapier four exploded, taking the man he loved with it._

“Poe?” A soft female voice roused him from his memories. Right. Rey. “Is everything okay?”

He blinked, willing the memory (or was it vision) to ebb away. It had been a long time since one of the flashbacks got him. What was it about this girl?

But he swallowed all that down, realizing that he had stopped on the top step, practically right outside his door. “Yeah, I’m fine. This is it.” He strode forward to open the door.

Absently, he was grateful that he’d taken down most of the detritus of his youth when he’d first moved back, the old band posters and trophies and action figures all buried deep in a box in his closet. The room was plain, but at least it looked like an adult lived here, even if it was a 32 year old in his dad’s house.

Rey was watching him, a careful look on her face. Though he hadn’t actually answered any of her questions, she didn’t push, something in his expression giving her pause. Good. He didn’t need her following that trail of logic any further than she already had.

“Fresher’s across the hall,” he said, pointing to an open doorway. “I’d ask that you shower before getting into my bed.” He made a point of staring into her sooty face.

Rey laughed. “Fair enough.”

“There’re clothes in the dresser. Speaking of,” he crossed the room to grab a pair of soft sleep shorts and an old t-shirt out of the drawer. “And I guess Dad and I will be downstairs if you need us.”

He turned to walk out, a soft hand on his shoulder stopping him before he hit the threshold.

“Poe,” said Rey, her voice devoid of any of its usual snark. “I know I might not have sounded too grateful earlier…” 

Poe snorted, earning a wry smile from Rey. 

“But thank you for saving me.”

She looked so sincere and was staring at him so intently, his cheeks pinked a little under the scrutiny. Immediately, he waved her off. “It was nothing. Anybody would do the same.”

A shadow passed over those bright eyes. “No, they wouldn’t. Not everyone is as noble as you are Poe Dameron. Some people don’t come back for you.” Something about the way she said it gave him pause. Like there was more to her story as well.

He found that when she looked at him like that, he couldn’t look away. Those eyes were hypnotizing, drawing him in. 

“Poe? Everything okay up there?” his father’s voice carried from the first floor. 

“Yeah, we’re good,” he called back, his eyes never leaving hers. Poe smiled. “On that note, good night. I’m right at the bottom of the steps if you need anything.” 

It sounded a lot more like an offer than he was intending, and Rey’s face showed a lot more interest than he was expecting, but somehow he was able to tear himself away from her eyes long enough to make it down the steps. 

He pretended to not notice the knowing look on his father’s face as he used the master fresher to clean up for bed. 

Carefully, he peeled back the bacta patch on his eye. Though it had taken down most of the swelling, there’d be a shiner for sure unless he put on another patch. Poe left it. 

“If you’re here to say ‘sorry,’ I’m all ears,” Poe said to Kes’s reflection in the mirror. He could feel him hovering by the door long before he looked up.

Kes chuckled. “I stand by most of what I said. Though, I am sorry about calling you a drunk. You were right about the X-wing.”

“Twice. You called me a drunk twice.”

“So,” his dad said delicately, apparently ignoring his last comment, “she’s Resistance.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Looks like they found you after all.”

Poe turned, fixing his dad with a look. “Out with it.”

“Nothing.” And then, “Just that sometimes the Force has a plan, that’s all.”

He snorted, rolling his eyes. “Really, Dad? ‘The Force has a plan?’ I didn’t take you for the type.”

“Hey, your mom believed in it. Enough to plant the tree.”

Poe swallowed thickly. “That’s different,” he insisted, pretending like the tree wasn’t one of the first things he’d thought of when he realized what Rey was. Not that his father knew that little detail yet.

“If you say so,” answered Kes with a smug grin and a shrug.

Poe towelled off his face before leaving the room. “Good night, Dad.”

And so Poe found himself staring up at the ceiling ten minutes later, his mind racing. From his spot on the couch, he could see up the stairs and into the hallway, the light from the fresher peeking out through the bottom of the door.

This day had been roughly a standard year long. It was hard to believe that only this afternoon he’d picked that fight with a stormtrooper. And gotten arrested. So much had happened since then. Rey had happened.

There was something about that woman. Almost like an instinct. Or a feeling. His father’s words drifted through his mind unbidden, _Sometimes the Force has a plan_.

Well, if this was the Force’s plan for him, it had a shit sense of humor. 32 years old, living with his father, no career to speak of (because running the stand at the farmer’s market decidedly did not count). Yeah, if he ever met this mystical Force, they were going to have words.

But then different words floated to the top of his mind, spoken to him by another vet what felt like a lifetime ago. _And there’s a girl we found, strong with the Force, but she needs training..._

He dismissed it. Pure coincidence and nothing more. The Force didn’t have plans, especially not ones that included Poe.

Upstairs, the water in the fresher cut off. Poe held his breath as the door swung open, a familiar form stepping into the hallway. Maker save him, she was only in a towel as she stepped into the hall, her skin shining in the light from the fresher, all long, lean legs and slim, muscled arms. A dark bruise blossomed on one pale shoulder. In that moment, he wanted to personally thank his father for purchasing the galaxy’s smallest towels.

Without his permission, his mind drifted to that creamy skin, the way it felt under his fingertips when he smoothed the patch over her ribs. He imagined what it would look like spread out beneath him. Desire bloomed in his low in his belly, a fire that hadn’t been stoked in far too long. His cock gave an appreciative twitch. As if awakening after a long slumber.

Rey was almost to the other side of the hall and the safety of Poe’s bedroom when she stopped. Slowly, her head turned, like she could feel him down there. Their eyes connected across the dark. Under the covers, Poe grew a little hard.

The moment stretched and pulled taut around them. He forgot to breathe. 

At the top of the steps, Rey started to pivot, her body turning toward him as if she was going to come down and join him, take him up on the offer he hadn’t even realized he’d been making, when a howling cry of a woolamander outside stopped her in her tracks.

It was like coming out of a trance. He blinked and one second she was there, the next she had slipped into his room. The door clicked shut a moment later.

Poe leaned back against the lumpy decorative throw pillow, a shuddering breath filling his lungs. He really fucking hated monkeys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn monkeys.
> 
> Let me know what you think, and I'll see you Monday for chapter 5!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprisingly lovely day at the farmers market comes to a halt when stormtroopers crash the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO I realized that I the last chapter I put that the next update was Tuesday, which was not correct. I apparently can no longer keep stories or days of the week straight. But the good news is that you get a chapter earlier than expected! 
> 
> Enjoy!

Morning came far too soon for Poe. Between the lack of sleep and the various cuts and bruises on his face, his head was absolutely pounding from the second he opened his eyes, the sun streaming in through the windows hitting him like daggers to the brain.

Gods, he felt hungover. With none of the previous fun.

It felt like yesterday was a dream. Everything was starting to run together in his head, from the market to the fight to the crash, all culminating in that strange moment with Rey. In fact, it was so strange, he had to wonder if the whole thing had been a figment of his imagination. Some hyper-real, wet-dream-adjacent fantasy brought on by his sex-starved brain. The very thought made his head pound worse.

With a groan, he turned over, burying his head in the couch cushions. That was better. Dark. Quiet. Peaceful. 

He was hovering on the edge of sleep once more when a series of beeps and tootles, accompanied by a high, female laugh, woke him once more.

Yet another strike against Just Rey. She was a morning person.

Kes’s low voice joined in, pots and pans banging in the background as the scent of fresh caf reached his nose. Breakfast. Poe could definitely use some breakfast. Or at least some caf.

It was the promise of that caf that got him up and on his feet with a groan. Thanks to those troopers, everything hurt, from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, his body bruised and aching. They didn’t look it, but those boots were sharp when they hit your ribs, a fact he now knew first hand. All in all, it felt very much like he’d been hit with a light freighter.

He’d never felt older. Or dumber. Maybe his dad was right. He couldn’t keep doing this.

By the time he shuffled into the kitchen, eggs and breakfast meat - some kind of a sausage by the look of it - were sizzling on the stove, Kes and Rey laughing at something BB-8 had said. Well, didn’t they all look cozy.

As soon as he stepped into the room, Rey’s eyes found his, a barely concealed grin playing across that wide mouth. That strange spark from last night re-ignited instantly. So it hadn’t been completely in his head after all.

Rey’s shift in attention drew Kes’s own. “Look what the loth-cat dragged in! And just in time; food’s almost done.” he turned, a smile still lingering on his face. Naturally, it was all smiles for their guest. He took one look at Poe and handed him a steaming cup of caf. “Oof, looks like you need this.”

Poe simply glared at him and took a seat next to Rey at the table, incapable as he was of higher forms of communication before he’d had his morning caf.

“Don’t mind him,” said Kes, shoveling eggs onto the plates on the counter. “He is not a morning person.”

Rey chuckled into her own mug, the liquid within as black as Poe’s. At least she had good taste.

He took a deep, fortifying sip, savoring the bitterness on his tongue. It may have been in his head, but he swore he felt better already, that caffeine zipping along his veins. He took another. “Not true. I’m delightful in the morning.”

“He says after he’s had some caf.”

Kes set down a heaping plate of eggs and sausage in front of each of them, doubling back to the counter for his own. Apparently not one to waste any time, Rey dug in, her plate half empty by the time Kes took his seat. 

“Whoa, easy,” his dad said, taking a heaping forkful of his own breakfast. “No one’s gonna steal it from you. Don’t they feed you in the Resistance?”

It was a joke, but Rey’s bulging cheeks pinked anyway, and it took a full 15 seconds of chewing before she could swallow the massive bite. “Sorry, old habits and all that. Gotta eat when you can when you never know when your next meal is coming.”

She easily could have been talking about the Resistance, but something in her eyes told Poe it went deeper than that. Like she knew that hunger far too intimately. And she was lean, wiry, underfed in a way that spoke to a life spent going without.

He must have been staring because next thing he knew Kes was trying to get his attention. “Uh, Yavin to Poe? Anybody home?”

Rey dropped those hungry eyes to her plate, releasing him from her gaze.

“Yeah,” he said, scrubbing a hand over his face. His whiskers rasped against the callouses on his palm. “Just need a little more caf to wake up.”

“Well, then drink up. You’ll need all the strength you can get if you wanna make it through the market today.”

That got his attention. “Wait, what? No, no, no, no I just did the market yesterday.”

“Yes, and maybe if you would have sold anything, you wouldn’t have to go back today.” Kes started to clear the table, a little too much pep in his step. He just loved making Poe miserable. “And a word to the wise: you sell a lot more melons when you don’t get arrested. So maybe try that today.”

Which is how Poe found himself in the barn an hour later, loading up the bed of the speeder for yet another day of fun at the farmer’s market. Only this time, he had a shadow. A very chatty shadow.

Rey would be joining him at the booth, ostensibly to give her an opportunity to try and reach the Resistance on a secure frequency, but Poe had a sinking feeling that this was his father’s revenge for yesterday’s brush with the law. 

“What’s a farmers market? And why is it different from a regular market?” asked Rey from her perch on the workbench, her legs swinging back and forth in a most distracting way. She’d offered to help him load up the koyos, but Poe had politely declined. No way was he going to let someone who had just fallen out of the sky haul bushels of melon.

But as he lifted yet another bushel to yet another twinge in his shoulder, he was starting to regret that moment of nobility. “It’s just a fancy way of saying that you’re buying directly from the farmers.”

“Doesn’t everybody buy directly from the farmers?” She continued to swing her legs and Poe continued to be distracted by the way her borrowed sundress inched up her thighs. It had been his mom’s once upon a time, and when Rey walked out in it, it had taken a full minute for his breathing to return to normal. 

“What, do I have something on my face?” asked Rey when he didn’t respond.

Right. Quit staring. It wasn’t polite.

“Uh, no, of course not. And to answer your question, no not everyone buys from farmers. We used to sell to companies who distributed our stuff all over the galaxy.”

“And now?”

“And now, supply lines are a little trickier.”

“Because of the First Order.” She leaned forward, her face lit up.

Poe rolled his eyes. Hard. “Yes, because of the First Order.” 

“So you admit that the First Order is a problem!” she said with a smug look on her face. Like she’d just gotten one over on him.

“I never said that the First Order wasn’t a problem.” Good gods, this woman was infuriating. “What I said was that there was no war with the First Order. At least, not one we can win.”  _ At least not one the Resistance is even trying to win, _ he added in his head.

That got Rey to her feet. “So we just give up? Let them take over the galaxy?”

Her words were dangerously close to the ones he’d exchanged with his father yesterday. So why was he fighting her on this? It was almost like he became more jaded and stubborn in the face of her unbridled conviction. Not one of his better personality traits. Add it to the list.

So, he ignored her question. “Listen, I’m not here to debate politics with you. And these bushels aren’t going to load themselves, so if you’ll excuse me.”

He turned, sighing at the mere thought of having to lift the final two bushels. His shoulder ached in anticipation.

But before he could so much as bend to lift the first, Rey was there, thin arms hefting the remaining melons into the back of the speeder as if they weighed nothing. She was a lot stronger than she looked. As much as he hated to admit it, his cock twitched in appreciation, wondering where else that could come into play.

“There, now can we talk?” She turned to look at him expectantly.

It was quite possible that Poe was in over his head.

That was the constant refrain of the day as Poe and Rey settled in for the farmer’s market. It was hot as hell itself, and just as boring as usual, but at least out here she couldn’t continue to pester him about the First Order. Or at least, she couldn’t do it loudly.

So she whispered.

“It’s not just here,” she murmured as they set up their goods. In addition to the koyo, Kes had sent them with some Naboo lettuce, muja fruit, and a bushel of this new blue corn they were trying out in the back field. “They’re making their presence known everywhere, in every system.”

Though he had guessed as much - you had to be pretty damn widespread to make it all the way out here - it left him with an odd pang to hear it confirmed. Immediately, he shook it off. The New Republic had made it very clear that the First Order was not his problem. And the Resistance wasn’t much better.

“Good thing I’m not trying to leave Yavin.”

“How can you say that?” she whisper-screamed at him. “You flew for the New Republic!”

“Yeah, don’t remind me.” 

That seemed to be the final straw. “Fine, I’m going to find this Davin.” She stood up and stalked away, the dress swishing around her long legs. 

“What? You don’t want to finish our chat?” he called after her, earning a rude hand gesture over her shoulder. Poe chuckled. Maybe this could be fun.

He finished setting up the stand alone, not that Rey had been much help, and settled in for the long haul. It was early yet, no customers to speak of, so Poe was left to the melons and his thoughts while Rey sought out Davin, an old friend of Kes’s who had agreed to help her get a message out. 

He’d actually been a little shocked that Kes had been so willing to help her. Any time Poe mentioned something about the First Order or the war that was brewing, his father seemed to shut down. Case in point, at the Defense Force office last night. But when Rey asked, he magically had an old Alliance buddy who just so happened to play around with long-range communication devices - as a hobby of course - who he’d give a call. So Rey would call in her extraction and be out of here before Yavin rose in the night sky. And Poe would pretend that the thought of her leaving didn’t give him a strange, empty feeling in his gut.

Just then, a customer came up, distracting him enough to keep his mind off Rey for a few minutes. At least until she came stomping back and dropped into the seat next to him in a huff.

“Everything okay over there?” he asked, fully preparing to get his head bitten off. She was testy enough in a good mood, and this was definitely not one of those.

But instead of jumping down his throat, she just leaned back and sighed, the look on her face making him feel bad for poking at her. “They changed the codes.”

“What?”

“There was no one on the other side. So, they either changed the codes or…” she trailed off, her lip quivering.

He was almost afraid to ask. “Or?”

“Or the First Order found them, and they’re all dead.” She kept her voice extra even, but she wasn’t kidding anyone. He could see how upset she was.

He wanted to tell her she was being ridiculous or paranoid, but he knew enough about how the Resistance worked to realize that it wasn’t a good sign. “Well, you could try again tomorrow. See if you have any luck.”

She nodded, but her mind was elsewhere, staring into the middle distance with her arms crossed over her chest.

Another customer approached the stand, an old lady who was probably the closest thing they had to a regular. 

“Poe, dear, what looks good today?” She asked the same question every time, a little joke between them.

“Well, Talia, I’d say the koyos,” he answered, doing his part. “But they pale in comparison to you.” He accompanied it with the smile that had earned him an invite into more than one bed back in the day.

She blushed, waving him off. But she picked up two melons. “And who do we have here?” she asked, turning her attention to Rey. “A friend of yours?” She smiled expectantly, looking from one to the other.

Well, kriff. Their village was small enough that any new faces were sure to draw unwanted attention. Maybe they hadn’t thought this through. 

But Rey didn’t so much as hesitate, a warm smile on her face as she stuck out a hand to shake. “Kyra Ores, I’m an old family friend of the Damerons.” It was like a completely different person from a moment ago, Rey easily stepping in to her assumed name.

“Oh, lovely to meet you, dear. That accent, are you from Coruscant?”

“Good ear,” replied Rey, leaving it at that.

Poe quickly finished the sale, tucking the credits into the ridiculous apron his dad made him wear out here. 

As soon as Talia was out of earshot, Poe leaned over to Rey. “You’re from Coruscant?”

Rey looked at him like he was insane. “No, I’m from Jakku.”

He blinked. She had lied so easily. And that was a Core accent, he was sure of it. Now he had to wonder if Rey was even her real name.

For her part, Rey either didn’t care about or didn’t notice his concern, turning to the next customer and greeting them with a smile. 

Word must have traveled fast about the visitor, because all of a sudden folks were lining up to patronize the stand. They had more customers already than he’d seen all of yesterday. Though that maybe had to do with his own less than welcoming attitude, not that he’d admit that to anyone.

He tried not to marvel at the easy way she had with his neighbors, so different from the rough words they tended to exchange. Here, she was all quick charm and easy smiles. It wasn’t hard to see why she was such an asset to the Resistance.

Poe noticed the second the stormtroopers entered the market, the very air around them changing. What had once been a fairly pleasant afternoon tensed around them, people hurrying off with their purchases and quickly finding some other place to be. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched them, praying to any being that was listening that they didn’t make it this far before finding someone else to torment.

The change in mood hadn’t gone unnoticed by Rey, her own smiles a little more tight as they made their way down the aisle, body stiff in her chair.

They exchanged a quick look, but there was nowhere for her to hide without being even more conspicuous. He had been right earlier. They really hadn’t thought this through.

But there was nothing they could do about that now as Dick and Dickless - he recognized Dickless by the scuff he’d put on his armor yesterday - made their inexorable way toward them. 

All too soon, Poe was looking up at a white plastoid face.

“Let’s see that permit, Dameron,” growled Dickless, his hand casually resting on his blaster. 

Gods, Poe hated these little shits.

But he wasn’t about to pick a fight with Rey here, so he dug out the permit and handed it over without any lip. For once. 

Dickless barely scanned it, almost disappointed he didn’t have another reason to take Poe in. Bored with trying to intimidate Poe, he turned to Rey. “And who are you? I don’t remember seeing you around here.”

Rey slipped easily into her earlier persona. “Kyra Ores, nice to meet you. I’m an old family friend. Just visiting.”

Dickless seemed to mull that over a second. “From off-world?”

For the first time, Rey faltered, unsure of what answer he was looking for. Finally, she picked, “Yes, that’s right.”

“Ok, then let’s see some identification.”

Wrong answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh.
> 
> Let me know what you think, and I'll see you Wednesday!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revelations abound after Rey fixes the stormtrooper problem. When a storm rolls in, feelings are no longer denied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fun starts here, folks.

“Ok, then let’s see some identification.”

Next to him, Rey blanched, her entire body going stick-straight for a moment before she came to some kind of a decision. 

“You do not need to see my identification,” she said in a tone of voice he’d never heard her use before. She accompanied the words with a strange little wave of her hand. The effect was immediate. 

As if they’d been pulled by an invisible string, both stormtroopers stood taller, Dickless’s voice completely monotone when he answered, “We don’t need to see your identification.”

Was he… was he seeing a Jedi mind trick in person?

Rey did the little wave again. “Everything looks good here. Let’s move along.”

Dickless turned to Dick. “Everything looks good here. Let’s move along.”

Why yes, yes he was.

He must have been staring (again), because when Rey turned to look at him a second later she snapped, “What?”

“Nothing. That was amazing. I thought we were finished.” Rey’s brow crumpled at that, causing Poe to ask, “Wait, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t like doing that if I can help it.”

“Well, I don’t think you could help it there. You really saved our skins. And anyway, it was just a couple of stormtroopers.”

“Especially to stormtroopers.” When he gave her a quizzical look, she added, “They remind me of my best friend.”

Poe cocked a brow at her. “Your best friend reminds you of a stormtrooper?” He couldn’t imagine that being a complimentary comparison.

“My best friend is a stormtrooper.” Poe felt his jaw drop. “Or, he was a stormtrooper. He defected.”

That wasn’t possible. Stormtroopers were trained nearly from birth. Well, trained was too soft a word. Brainwashed. Programmed. Indoctrinated. Those were closer to the truth. “But how?”

“Broke through his programming. They wanted him to kill a bunch of civilians, but he refused. And when they tried to kill him for it, he ran. Stole a ship and took off. Only problem was, he couldn’t fly worth a damn. Crashed it less than five minutes later, but at least the Resistance found him.”

Poe was nearly speechless. Who was this woman? A Resistance jedi pilot who befriended former stormtroopers. She was like something out of a holonovel. “That’s amazing. So what about you? How did you end up in the Resistance?”

Immediately, her guard went up, what little openness on her face he’d earned these past few hours shuttered in the blink of an eye. He’d have to remember to be gentler in the future. But a second later she took a breath and apparently decided it couldn’t hurt to tell him.

“Like I said, I grew up on Jakku. My parents left me there when I was about five. Told me they’d be back. I waited 10 years.”

Maker, she’d actually grown up on Jakku? He didn’t know much about that planet minus what his parents had told him. The final battle of the war had taken place over those punishing sands, and since then the planet had been a combination junkyard and graveyard for those who had fallen.

“And then?”

“And then I decided I was done waiting, stole the first ship I found, and the rest is history. It’s been four years and I’ve never looked back.”

Poe did some quick mental math, putting her at around 19. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least Leia wasn’t sending children out to do her dirty work. They hadn’t stooped that low. “How did you end up with the Resistance?”

“Honestly, luck. It just so happened that they found me before my master. I’ve been with them ever since.”

For a second, Poe’s blood ran cold. “Master?”

“I suppose he would have used the term ‘boss.’ But I was a scavenger, which is just a prettier name for a slave.” She shrugged it off like she hadn’t just admitted she’d grown up in slavery. “It was one of the reasons why FN and I hit it off. Turns out we had a bit in common.”

He must have had a blank look on his face because Rey smiled, leaning over to rearrange the melons. “My friend, the former stormtrooper. His name’s FN-2187, but no one calls him that. So, it’s FN.”

“FN-2- Wait, a second, they don’t have real names?” Poe looked down the row at where Dick and Dickless were terrorizing another stand. They had designations, not names. Like his kriffing droid. The First Order considered them less than human.

Rey was watching that realization dawn on his face with a look of sad understanding on her own. “Nope. Just numbers.”

“Nah, you can’t use that. He needs a name, a proper name. FN, huh? So what about Finn?”

Next to him, her face split into a wide grin. Like he’d passed some test he hadn’t even realized he’d been sitting for. “He’ll love that.” As if to emphasize that, she grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze, Poe holding his breath the entire time. 

Maybe the farmer’s market wasn’t so bad after all.

Of course, he spoke too soon, a cluster of rapidly approaching clouds choosing that moment to open up for the afternoon rain.

Without thinking, he grabbed her hand, taking off to find some shelter. The koyos would keep.

Rey let out a scream as he dragged her through the deluge to a small awning across the square. At first, he was worried either he or the rain had scared her, but when he looked back, he realized the scream was accompanied by laughter and a smile so wide he could count her teeth. They settled under their temporary shelter just as the first crack of thunder rang out, pressing their backs against the building to keep from getting wet.

Not that they weren’t already drenched. Rey’s hair was plastered to her forehead and Poe’s was surely much the same, though he couldn’t deny his interest in the way her soaked dress clung to her body, soft curves accentuated by the thin fabric. 

“You’re staring again.”

Poe blinked at her words, face heating at being caught. Again. He swallowed thickly, saying the first thing that came to mind. “Uh, the dress. It belonged to my mother.”

“Oh.” Rey’s face softened in an instant, a deep understanding shining in her eyes. The lack of female presence in the house, the untouched ship in the barn, now the clothes; he watched in real time as she put two and two together. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It was a long time ago,” he said softly. “But it suits you.”

Rey’s smile lit up their little alcove as much as the lightning that flashed across the sky. He realized as the storm drew her attention outward that she had yet to drop his hand. And there was no way he was going to be the one to do it.

Another clap of thunder had Rey jumping, her hand squeezing his for a brief moment. He watched her light up in fascination at the storm raging around them, the smile never leaving her face.

“I take it you don’t have much rain wherever the Resistance is,” he said gently, only half prying. 

Her eyes never left the rain. “We do, but not like this.” Her voice was soft, full of wonder. “It’s more misty, colder. You know, I’d never even seen something like this until I turned fifteen. It didn’t rain on Jakku.”

He watched her reach a hand out into the downpour, giggling as the drops hit her palm.

Gods, he wanted to kiss her.

It hit him with the force of a blaster bolt to the chest. She was beautiful, even with her hair wet and loose around her shoulders. Those hazel eyes drank in the light, practically glowing now in the gloom of the storm. 

Without warning, those bright eyes turned on him. She must have felt his attention on her. Noticed the change in his mood, or more embarrassingly, his sudden desire. Though this time, he did not turn away, doing nothing to hide it.

“The dress again?” she asked, a little smirk lingering on her lips. 

Poe shook his head. “Not this time.”

The moment stretched and still the world went on around them, the sounds of people calling out to each other and speeders starting up reaching them from the square. He found himself very interested in the twin spots of color that appeared on her cheeks, a pink so lovely he was sure it couldn’t be recreated.

The smile slowly died on her lips, pink and perfect as they were, replaced by an appraising sort of look. Like she was looking into the very core of him. Absently, he wondered what she saw there.

She cocked her head at him. “You want to kiss me.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact. One that Poe wasn’t about to deny.

“I’ve been thinking about it.” He brought one hand up to cup her cheek, her skin still damp from their run through the rain. “Would you-”

But he didn’t get to finish his question, not when Rey chose to answer it by bringing her lips to his.

The kiss was rougher than he’d been expecting, almost hungry with the way she threatened to devour him. Her tongue found the seam of his lips almost instantly, his own mouth opening to admit her. As she pressed herself against him, he could feel the strength in her, a certainty in her movements that he shouldn’t have been surprised by, knowing what he did about her. 

When she pulled back a minute later, Poe found himself a little breathless, completely unable to keep a goofy grin off his face. Rey seemed much in the same boat, biting down on her kiss-swollen lower lip while she looked at him from under her lashes.

She brought a hand up, running it over his day plus scruff. “This is scratchy.”

Ok, so they weren’t going to talk about it. That worked for him. No need to talk what was obviously a very good development to death. They were both adults.

As such, he took her hand from his cheek, bringing it up to kiss the palm. “Is that a compliment or a complaint?”

“Both,” she decided, a wicked grin spreading across her lips. Leaning closer, she spoke the next words directly into his ear. “Makes me wonder how it would feel between my thighs.”

She wanted… his face… between her thighs. Poe’s brain short circuited, requiring a full reboot. It took him a second or two to get up and processing again, Rey’s eyes never leaving his own.

“So,” she said, letting her eyes dart down to his lips and back again, “shall we head back to the farm?”

There was no mistaking the meaning behind her words for him or his cock, which gave an appreciative twitch in his pants, excited to have something besides his right hand to look forward to for the first time in ages.

Well, she didn’t have to ask him twice, Poe grabbing her hand and taking off into the now misting rain to get back to the speeder. They packed up the stand in record time, though he was a little shocked to realize that they only had two koyo and a handful of that blue corn left from what they’d brought that morning. Rey was apparently a much better saleswoman than he was.

The trip home seemed to take forever, the speeder too slow and the streets strangely crowded for a random midafternoon, especially in a village as sleepy as Wetyin’s. But they made it back, eventually, bypassing the house all together in favor of the privacy of the barn. 

The door had barely closed behind them before Rey’s lips were upon his once more. She’d had to satisfy herself with dropping kisses along his jawline and neck on the drive back and now she seemed to be making up for lost time.

Still kissing, they found their way over to the main workbench, Poe lifting Rey so her ass was balanced on the edge. He was shocked once more by how little she weighed, especially knowing the strength that lied within those wiry muscles. 

Her legs fell open to admit him, the hem of her dress inching up to her waist. Poe stepped between her knees and took in a sharp breath. It seemed she hadn’t worn any underthings to the market.

Trying not to think too hard about that, Poe focused on kissing her, her lips, her neck, the jut of her collarbones, any bit of skin he could reach.

Her hands were practiced at his belt, no fumbling at the buckle as she loosened it. “You up to date with your implant?” she asked, never pausing in her undressing of him. 

“Yeah, you?”

She smiled up at him. “Oh, yeah.”

Poe took another sharp breath as her hand found him in his pants, leaning over to capture her lips with his.

The sound of the barn door sliding open had Poe jumping back, quickly tucking himself back in and fastening his belt while Rey slid off the workbench and smoothed her skirt in a single fluid motion.

“There you guys are!” said Kes a second later, thankfully oblivious to what he’d almost just walked into. “I thought I heard the speeder. Rain out?”

Poe turned, willing his face into a placid expression and his heart out of his throat. “Yeah. We got caught in it.”

“I can see that. Rey dear, you look freezing. Let’s get you inside and in some dry clothes.” He motioned for her to follow him. “I have some stew on, that should warm you.”

She passed Poe with a raised brow, the smirk on her face letting him know that this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, see you on Monday!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Oh, and let me know what you're thinking of this one so far. I'm loving everyone's reactions!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a quiet evening at home, Poe and Rey collide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna level with you folks: this is smut. We earn our E (for the first of many times) in this chapter. Though, there's also a detail that will come into play later, so I'll drop the highlights in the end notes for those that need to skip.
> 
> Smut starts when Rey asks if he's ready and ends at "He collapsed back onto the couch..."
> 
> Happy reading!

The night passed in slow agony, his father not leaving them alone for a single second. First it was dinner, then it was sending Poe to finish unloading the speeder, and finally it was Kes insisting they sit down and watch a holomovie with him - on opposite ends of the couch, of course. 

It was quite obvious that Kes knew exactly what he’d almost walked into, and now he seemed hellbent on torturing Poe about it. And Poe found that he couldn’t even muster the embarrassment expected of him. He was far too horny.

It didn’t help things that when Poe had come back in from the barn, Kes and Rey had their heads together, deep in a conversation that cut off as soon as they realized Poe was in the room. They had both looked guilty as all hells when he caught them, so gods only knew what they had been talking about. Nothing good, of that he was sure. Not to mention that they’d both been acting strange for the rest of the night, Kes overly cheery and Rey strangely aloof, unwilling to meet Poe’s eyes. 

Across the couch, Rey yawned, her eyes heavy in the light of the holo. “You know, I think I’m going to call it a night,” she said, standing up from the couch. “Early morning and all.”

Kes had already informed them that they’d done so well at the market that morning, they’d be going back tomorrow. Seemed like a damned if you do, damned if you don’t type situation to Poe. Though Rey had to go back to Davin and try to reach the Resistance again anyway, and the stand at the market was as good a cover as any he supposed. Too bad that meant their night was well and truly over.

“You need anything before you head up?” asked Kes, his eyes barely leaving the screen.

Rey kept her face carefully blank as she answered, “No, I’m good. See you guys tomorrow.”

“Night,” Poe said, Rey barely pausing in her escape long enough to say it back.

He tried not to track her progress up the stairs, but it was no use. Like pretending there wasn’t a happabore in the room.

Kes waited until the door clicked shut upstairs before turning to Poe. “You need to let her be.”

Ok, that was a little direct. But Poe went with the old standby: denial.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

It was a lie and not even a very good one judging by the wry smile on Kes’s face. “Oh really. So I didn’t almost walk in on you with your cock-”

“Ok, ok, I get the point, you saw us,” he said, not needing to hear the rest of that sentence. Especially out of Kes Dameron’s mouth. “But I really don’t get the big deal here.” 

Kes leaned forward, his words coming low and fast. “Rey seems like a great girl, but she’s Resistance, Poe, first and foremost. That’s where her loyalties lie.” He rested his back against the couch. “She has a job to do, and if you don’t want to get tangled up in all that, I’d keep your distance.”

It was a fairly serious warning coming from his father. One that didn’t wholly make sense. His father had been trying to get Poe to start living his life again for three years, and now that he’d decided to have a little fun with a very pretty woman who just so happened to fall from the sky into his lap, Kes was all about caution.

But Poe wasn’t about to relent that easily. “We’re both consenting adults. Nobody’s getting hurt.”

Kes raised a bushy brow. “Are you so sure about that?” 

Poe looked long and hard at his father. Just who was that warning for?

He narrowed his eyes. “Where is this coming from? Yesterday you were all knowing smiles and ‘the Force has a plan.’ What changed?” 

“There’s a lot more at play here than you know. Let’s just leave it at that. And Rey doesn’t need  _ you _ distracting her.” Kes rose to his feet, stretching out his back with a low groan. “On that note, I’m off to bed.”

This had something to do with that conversation he’d walked in on, Poe knew it.

“Wait, we’re not done-”

Kes cut him off. “Yes, we are. Now, I’m going to bed and I suggest you do the same. Goodnight, Poe.”

And with that, he was gone, disappearing down the hall into his own bedroom with a click of the door. Poe sighed, falling back against the couch.

What the hells had that been about? 

No matter how long he lived here, he could never quite figure out his father. The man was a complete mystery. He’d been in the Alliance, but rarely spoke of it. He hated the First Order, but insisted on staying out of the conflict. Not to mention that for a farmer, he spent shockingly little time tending his crops. And now this strange business with Rey and the Resistance. Nothing added up.

It was something more than just staying neutral. Because Poe knew he wasn’t neutral, not by a long shot. Like he’d said to Poe, there was a lot more at play here than anyone was letting on. 

Though, there wasn’t much he could do about it. He’d learned a long time ago that you couldn’t make Kes Dameron do anything Kes Dameron didn’t want to do. And his father definitely didn’t want him to know what was going on. So he put it from his mind and tried to get comfortable on the lumpy couch. While he liked Rey well enough, he certainly wouldn’t mind getting his bed back at the end of all this.

But the length of the day and the lack of sleep proved more powerful than both his discomfort and his rapidly swirling thoughts as his eyes grew heavier and heavier in the dark. He must have dozed off completely because minutes or hours later the creak of a step had him gasping awake. 

He blinked in the darkness, finding twin pools of hazel watching him from the staircase. As he willed his breathing to return to normal, she took another step and then another, each one bringing her closer to him.

Now he could see that she was in some of his things, an old pair of boxers and a t-shirt that dwarfed her slender frame. It had slid off one shoulder, making a sort of accidental fashion statement, freckles peeking out from the fabric.

She didn’t hesitate a single step, her path bringing her directly to him. Without words, she threw a leg over his hips, Poe remaining deathly still so as not to spook her away. It felt like a dream, something that his overactive imagination had cooked up while he slept. But he could feel the heat of her seeping into his bones, the weight of her body pressed mere inches from where he wanted her the most.

Rey leaned over, one hand braced on either side of his head, and whispered directly into his ear, “Is this okay?”

The heat of her breath sent shivers down his spine. What a ridiculous, if necessary, question. Of course this was okay, more than okay. There was no way she didn’t feel him, hard and insistent, resting between her thighs. But it was obvious she needed to hear it from him.

“Yes,” he answered simply, bringing one rough hand up to drag her down for a kiss. 

She wasted no time with further pleasantries, shedding her shorts and divesting him of his own in a series of swift, smooth movements. Her hand was warm as it closed around him, Poe gasping as her calloused palm scraped over his sensitive flesh.

Gods, he was embarrassingly hard already, surely a testament to how long it had been. But Rey didn’t seem bothered by it, on the contrary, she looked downright delighted to find him so ready and raring to go, climbing back onto the couch to straddle his hips.

“You ready,” she asked, looking for all the world like something out of a movie backlit as she was by Yavin rising blood red in the living room window. 

Poe’s hands rested on her slim waist as he lied, “Yes.”

Well maybe it wasn’t a lie at the time, but he certainly wasn’t ready for her to line herself up and drop. His eyes rolled into the back of his head at the feel of her fluttering around him, Poe thanking every deity whose name he knew that he hadn’t shot his load in the first two seconds.

Rey hovered above him, ass resting on his thighs since she’d taken him to the hilt, a satisfied little smile on her face. 

“Oh, that’s nice,” she said with a soft laugh, her voice a little breathless. 

He wasn’t sure if she was talking about the general feeling or himself, but he’d take it as a compliment either way. “Glad you like it.”

This time when she laughed, it was louder, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. Gods, he’d almost forgotten that Kes was sleeping not even 15 feet away. He hoped she wasn’t loud in bed.

It hit him then that Rey was practically still a stranger, a woman he’d met barely a standard day ago. He was buried between her thighs and what did he even know about her? She was Resistance and a Jedi, one hell of a pilot, and stubborn as all get out. She grew up on Jakku and befriended stormtroopers. And that she was the kind of pretty that normally wouldn’t look twice at a washed up pilot like him. So basically nothing.

Weirdly, that seemed to make this encounter that much hotter. Huh, he hadn’t realized that was one of his things.

But he couldn’t focus on that discovery, not when Rey had pressed her palms flat on his chest, using him as leverage to lift nearly all the way off of him before sinking back down, a little more slowly this time. 

That was almost worse, too much of a tease when accompanied by the low moan that Rey let escape, her lips clamping shut a second later.

Based off what little he knew about her, and how this night had gone so far, he took a gamble with his next whispered words. “If you can’t keep quiet, I’m going to have to occupy that mouth of yours.”

Rey’s grin turned feral, her lids heavy with desire. He’d guessed right.

“Is that a promise?”

Ok, this woman was starting to grow on him.

The next time she slid down his length, he met her halfway, thrusting up to earn another moan from her lips. As promised, his mouth swallowed the sound, the kiss heavy and heady and all consuming while she continued to move on top of him. 

He wasn’t sure who broke the kiss, but Poe found his lips wandering, brushing against her jaw and throat and along the skin left exposed by the neck of his t-shirt that she was still wearing. His hands found their way under the shirt to the bare skin of her back. While he expected more of that smooth, perfect flesh, what he found was uneven, raised marks that told a story all their own. 

For a second, neither of them moved. Her eyes connected with his, daring him to comment on what he’d found written on her flesh. But even Poe knew this was a different brand of secret than where she came from or who she worked for. And she was entitled to keep it as long as she wanted.

With a nod from him, she started to move, arching her back, finding their rhythm again. Poe held on for dear life, his fingers surely leaving bruises near her hips.

She had started to make small, helpless sounds, still too loud in the darkened house, while her movements reduced to a steady rocking in his lap. He didn’t need to know her to realize she was close.

Which was good news, seeing as they were operating on borrowed time. Any moment, Kes could wake and catch them, which was somehow both terrifying and strangely arousing. But either way, he was happy to help her along, wetting his thumb in his mouth before dropping it between their bodies to play with her clit.

That seemed to do the trick, Rey’s movements growing jerky and her breaths coming more and more rapidly, Poe feeling her tighten around him a second before she came with a shout, his mouth finding hers just in time to devour it.

She went boneless on top of him, her body collapsing against his chest, softer than he’d ever seen her. Her voice was rough in his ear, “Your turn.”

He certainly wasn’t going to argue with that command, especially when he had no clue how he’d made it this long, his own release hovering on the edge from the first second he was inside her. So he continued to pump into her, feeling that familiar tension building low in his gut until it exploded in starlight, Poe burying his face in the space where her neck met shoulder to muffle the cry.

He collapsed back onto the couch, sweaty and spent, bringing a still panting Rey along with him. 

Though he expected her to melt back into the darkness much in the same way she appeared, she surprised him by staying, her head resting on his shoulder. It seemed that she liked to be held. Huh. He wouldn’t have pegged her for a cuddler.

There wasn’t much room on the couch, but the arrangement suited Poe just fine. It felt far too good to have someone in his arms, heart beating next to his, even if it was a stubborn rebel he barely knew. Perhaps he was growing sentimental in his old age. Or perhaps it had just been a while.

Thankfully, muscle memory took over as Poe traced the line of her arm, down and up and down again, just enjoying the feel of her skin on his.

“That was nice,” she said after a time, her voice soft and sleepy when it reached his ears. 

“Don’t sound so surprised.”

That earned him a low laugh. “Well you are not what I was expecting, Poe Dameron.”

“Neither are you, Rey…” he trailed off. “Have I earned your last name yet?”

She got very quiet, fingers picking at his shirt. His heart sank. They’d just started getting along (a euphemism if he’d ever heard one) and now he had to go and cross a line. He was about to apologize for prying, tell her to forget it, when she spoke, her words so quiet he nearly missed them.

“I don’t have one.”

Poe froze, looking down at her. She wouldn’t make eye contact, instead continuing to pluck absently at his shirt. Almost like she didn’t realize she was doing it. 

He felt awful, hating that he’d pushed her into confessing something to him. “Rey, you don’t have…”

But she cut him off, her voice a little too casual for it not to be forced. “Like I said, my parents left me on Jakku. I never really knew them. So it’s always been just Rey.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Finally, she tilted her head up to look at him, her eyes bright and shining in the half-light of the living room. “There’s nothing to be sorry about,” she said, her voice returning to some semblance of normal. “We all have stories.” 

And wasn’t that the truth. 

She put her head back down on his chest while his mind raced with all the half truths he’d told her, the stories he’d purposefully left untold. What happened with the Yissira Zyde. The real reason he hadn’t joined the Resistance. Muran, Leia, all of it. Poe wrapped his arms more tightly around her. She’d been honest with him, and if he was a decent man, he owed her the same courtesy. He was about to say something to that effect when a soft snore broke through the silence. She’d fallen asleep in his arms.

In sleep, she looked younger than her 19 years, her face devoid of all that ferocity, the hard lines of stress and responsibility all but disappearing in slumber. So different from the fierce woman he’d gotten to know by day.

Suddenly, he found himself seeing her in a new light. She was strong because she had to be, tough because the galaxy had shown her nothing but cruelty. A fighter forged. Someone like that wouldn’t just fall asleep anywhere, so the way she slept softly in his arms right now was deliberate, a choice made out of trust. One that he didn’t intend to betray.

Placing a final kiss on her forehead, he let himself fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday!
> 
> Let me know what you think of these two in the comments. We continue to unravel the mysteries of these two over the next few chapters, so stay tuned and thanks for reading!
> 
> For those that skipped the smut: Poe finds Rey's back is full of scars, which will be brought up again later.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after Poe and Rey's rendezvous does not go as planned when stormtroopers show up to crash the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anybody order some plot? Because this story does have some and it starts here. 
> 
> A huge shoutout to GothamOracle who talked these plot points through with me months ago to get the order just right.
> 
> Enjoy!

Poe woke alone, the morning sun streaming through the windows in even lines across his face. 

His arms felt empty, his chest hollow when he realized she was gone. He’d have thought last night had been a dream had he not noticed two sets of shorts on the floor. She must have forgotten them whenever she snuck off.

He leaned back against the cushions, smiling. 

“Glad to see that doing the one thing I asked you not to makes you so happy,” came Kes’s voice from just behind him.

Poe’s heart dropped into his stomach. “I didn’t… we didn’t…”

“Really? Cause your bare ass on my couch says otherwise,” he said, eyebrows raised at where the blanket had slipped from Poe’s lap. Well that wasn’t embarrassing at all. Though he couldn’t help but be a little chuffed at the fact that Rey had apparently covered him when she left. “And anyway, I’m old, not deaf. Though A for effort.” 

“You heard that?”

“The whole planet heard that, Poe.” 

Poe let out a small laugh, his hand covering his face, absolutely mortified. “This week keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it?” he muttered, almost more to himself than to Kes.

His father picked up a pair of shorts and tossed them at Poe’s chest. “Now, put on some pants, lover boy. You’re helping me with breakfast.”

Somehow, they managed to make it out of the house without Poe spontaneously combusting out of mortification. It didn’t help that every time his eye caught Rey’s, a spark erupted between them, loaded glances and smiles drawing Kes’s attention on more than one occasion. 

It was almost a relief to get to the market, Rey disappearing immediately to try to reach the Resistance again. 

At least the day was overcast with rain heavy in the air as he started to unload the speeder, the market strangely quiet for this time of morning. In fact, it was nearly empty, more than one of the usual stands unoccupied despite the late hour. Poe pushed it from his mind. Probably the weather.

He was about halfway through unloading, his mind wandering to the flower stand next door and whether he should grab one of the blooms for Rey, when the woman herself came scurrying back, her eyes wide and face alert.

“We need to go,” she said, scanning her surroundings with a practiced edge. “Now.”

His brow furrowed. “What happened? Were you able to reach the Resistance?”

“No, didn’t have a chance. The town is swarming with stormtroopers. At least three new units, maybe more. It’s not safe here, we have to go.”

She was already loading the bushels back onto the bed, the hood of the poncho she’d borrowed raised to conceal her face. With Poe’s help, they made quick work of it, loading the last of the fruit and hopping in the speeder just as a phalanx of white plastoid rounded the corner.

But Poe was already off, their position far enough from the troopers that no one should have noticed their hasty departure.

When they arrived at the farm, Kes was already waiting for them on the front porch.

“What happened?” he asked, addressing Rey.

“Stormtroopers. I heard them talking in town.” She paused, her expression turning grave. “They know the pilot of that ship isn’t dead. They’re looking for me.”

Poe’s head whipped toward her. She hadn’t said a word of this to him.

Kes’s dark eyes bore into her. “Looking for  _ you _ or looking for the pilot?”

“The pilot. They don’t know who I am….”

“I can feel a ‘but’ coming.”

For a moment, her eyes flitted to Poe, almost guilty. “They don’t know who I am, but I did use a mind trick on two troopers at the market yesterday.”

Kes looked from Rey to Poe and back again, an incredulous look on his face. “And neither of you thought to mention?” He sighed, shaking his head as he turned away from them. One hand came up to run through his hair in a gesture Poe recognized as one of his own. “I never would have sent you back there…” he trailed off before turning to Poe. “And you knew she was a Jedi.”

It was more an accusation than a question, and Poe’s eyes darted over to Rey before answering, “I mean, I guessed, and yesterday pretty much confirmed it.”

Kes turned away, muttering in rapid Yavinese. Poe swore that he heard the word “Leia” and something about a heart (or maybe it was the core, he was a little rusty) in there, but that made no sense. He must have heard wrong or something was getting lost in translation.

It felt like they stood there forever before Kes turned to them once more. “Ok, here’s what we’re gonna do--” But they never learned what they were going to do, not when Kes put his hand up a second later, listening to something in the distance. “Do you hear that?”

Poe did. It was unmistakable. “Speeders.”

“In the house. Now.”

They followed him without question, Kes walking straight into the living room and getting to his knees. Poe watched in disbelief as his father rolled up the edge of the rug, hands roving over the exposed floor until he found what he was looking for, pressed down, and a trapdoor appeared out of what had moments ago been plain hardwood. 

Kes looked to Rey. “Are you good with enclosed spaces?”

She swallowed audibly but nodded, making her way down a small staircase without comment.

“Do you have anything here that could identify you?”

Rey mulled that over a second before answering, “My flight suit and helmet.”

“It’s with the laundry,” Kes told him, nodding towards the laundry room in the back of the house. “Quickly, before they get here.”

Poe was back in less than a minute, handing the suit and helmet down to Rey under the floor before Kes closed the trapdoor and rearranged the rug over it. Even knowing that the damn thing opened, Poe couldn’t see a single notch or anything to indicate what lay beneath.

As he watched his dad double check everything, Poe realized he hadn’t said a single word in over five minutes. Which he immediately rectified.

“What the fuck was that?”

His dad didn’t seem too pleased with his tone or his language, but he let it slide. “Not right now,” he answered, passing Poe to walk into the kitchen. 

Poe followed right behind. “No, right now. We just put a woman in a secret room under the house that I did not know existed until five minutes ago. That’s not normal.”

“What can I say, your mother and I liked to be prepared.”

He finally caught up to Kes, putting a hand on his shoulder and forcing his father to look at him. “Not good enough.”

A pounding knock echoed through the house.

Kes’s brow quirked up. “Can it wait? Or would you rather finish this discussion in front of the First Order stormtroopers?”

“Fine. But we are talking about this.” Poe let him go, Kes immediately walking toward the door.

He took a deep breath before opening the door with a bland smile on his face. “Good morning. How can I help you two?”

Gods, how was it still morning? It felt like it had been two days since his dad had found him on the couch.

“We’re looking for a fugitive,” came the modulated voice of one of the troopers. Female by the sound of her. Definitely not his friends Dick or Dickless. “A pilot who crashed near here two nights ago. He would probably be injured.”

Poe busied himself with putting away the breakfast dishes. So they didn’t know it was Rey. Or they were looking for them to slip up. Either way, it didn’t sound like they were under any real suspicion. They were just canvassing.

“I haven’t seen anything, but let me check with my son.” He made a show of turning around and calling for Poe. “Poe! Have you seen anything unusual in the fields? A downed ship maybe, or a pilot?”

Poe stepped forward, heart beating in his throat. “No, nothing but melons and the occasional woolamander around here.”

“Sorry we couldn’t be more help,” said Kes, turning back to the troopers. “But you’re welcome to check the fields and the barn.”

“We understand you had a visitor from off-planet.”

Well, shit. Apparently that mind trick wasn’t all it cracked up to be. 

“Yeah, Kyra came with me to the market yesterday,” Poe offered before his dad could look too confused. “We manned the Dameron Farm booth.”

“Can we speak to them?”

Kes shook his head. “Unfortunately, she took the last transport last night.”

“We’ll verify that,” said the leader, and Poe thought it was over. At least until they found no one named Kyra on the rosters. But of course, they weren’t even that lucky. The trooper turned to her compatriot. “Check the house.”

There was no time to talk their way out of it or refuse, the trooper already pushing Kes aside to stride into the house.

Poe’s heart was in his throat as they went from room to room, dumping drawers and overturning furniture for no other reason than they could. They tore apart the couch, cushions flying across the room, then tipped it over for good measure. It brought them dangerously close to the hidden door, but they didn’t so much as pause over the space where Rey was hidden, even when the rug slid out of place. 

It was a half hour before they felt they had sufficiently tossed the place, exiting much the same way they had come. They hadn’t even touched the bedrooms. This had all been for show.

They waited an extra 10 minutes after the sounds of speeders had faded away - off to the next farm, surely - before opening the trap door.

Rey was a little sweaty but no worse for the wear when they helped her out of the hidden room, face pink and hair limp. Apparently, the air conditioning didn’t reach the secret room. She looked around at the destruction in the living room, her eyes growing wide.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, face falling as she took in the room. “This is all my fault.”

Kes waved her off. “Nah, they can do this any time they want. This time, they just had an excuse.”

Poe found his anger burning white hot at the truth in that. Like in the market, they could do whatever they wanted. The New Republic was too weak and divided to take a real stand against the First Order, and the Resistance was obviously doing jack shit to protect them. Surely they were too caught up in fruitless searches for errant monks to do anything of value for the galaxy.

But like most of his feelings these days, this rage was impotent; there was nowhere for it to go. So it burned out as quickly as it had come, leaving him empty and hollow and aching in its wake.

Though he would have loved to wallow in it for a while longer, Poe forced himself to hear Kes’s next words.

“Is there anything in that X-wing that could give you away?” he asked, face grave. He’d never seen his dad like this and with every passing minute, Poe had more questions. “Anything that could hurt the Resistance if found?”

Rey’s face turned carefully neutral, her expression giving nothing away. It appeared that she hesitated a second before confessing, “There was a datastick hidden in my ship. I didn’t have a chance to retrieve it before the crash,” she paused, biting her lower lip in a slightly distracting way. “But the ship exploded. There couldn’t be anything left.”

“Are you willing to bet the Resistance on that?” Rey’s expression said it all. “I didn’t think so.” He turned to Poe, slipping into a persona Poe had seen plenty over the years. Sergeant Dameron. “Where did she go down?”

Poe gave him a best guess. 

He could see the cogs turning in his father’s brain. “Ok, that’s what, an hour and a half hike if you cut through the old base?”

“Give or take.”

“Think you can make it back before sundown?”

Poe took a second to do the math. “If we leave now. And the rain holds out.” He looked out the front window, the rapidly darkening sky telling him exactly how unlikely that was. “It would be quicker with a speeder. There and back in under a half hour.”

Kes dismissed it out of hand. “We can’t risk it. They’re still in the area. There’s no way they wouldn’t hear you on that thing.”

“What about at the crash site?” Rey asked, rejoining the conversation. “They’re going to be watching it, waiting for me to come back.”

“I’ll handle the distraction, you guys just get to the site by 1600.” At that they were dismissed, Kes disappearing into his room to do whatever he was planning. A second later, he poked his head out. “And take BB-8 just in case. He’s good for a distraction in a pinch.”

At the sound of his name, BB-8 rolled into the room with an inquisitive beep covered in something that looked like yellow paint. Poe shook his head. He was pretty sure it was just pollen, but he really needed to keep better track of what that droid got into during the day. 

“Yeah, come on, Bee. We’re going.” 

He packed a bag with supplies, a few protein bars, some water, and the blaster his father silently handed him and they were off, walking straight into the jungle behind the barn. 

“Remember,” said Kes, seeing them off. “1600.”

Poe nodded once before leading them into the wilderness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think of this in the comments.
> 
> Adventure awaits! See you on Monday.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip through the jungle brings multiple discoveries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adventure time!

So they headed off into the misting rain, the jungle foliage thick enough to keep them mostly dry as they trudged along. Rey had grown quiet, contemplative since the stormtroopers showed up, a ridge forming between her eyes that almost looked permanent. 

“Credit for your thoughts?” He asked, bumping his shoulder into Rey’s.

She laughed, though her face still didn’t smooth. “Not sure they’re worth that much.”

“Try me.”

Rey sighed, sounding to Poe like the weight of the galaxy rested on her shoulders. And who knew, that could very well be the case. “I know your dad said otherwise, but I can’t help but feel like I brought all this to your doorstep.”

Poe wasn’t about to disagree with that. Though he had to admit, life on Yavin had certainly been a lot more interesting since Rey showed up. That brought him to his next question.

“What are they after? Why is it so important they find you?”

For a second, he thought she wouldn’t answer, that same stubborn expression she wore the first night taking over her face once more. But then she seemed to consider it a moment, possibly remembering that he’d been inside her a few short hours ago, and her face softened into something more recognizable. A little like trust.

“A map,” she said, pitching her voice lower regardless of the fact that only the woolamanders and whisper birds could hear them out here. “To Luke Skywalker.”

Poe’s heart clenched in his chest, the memory rising again, unbidden.

_ If we can get to Luke before they do, bring him on our side, we can win this war. And there’s a girl we found, strong with the Force, but she needs training... _

Again with the Luke Skywalker. It seemed that in the three years since he’d spoken with them, the Resistance was as useless as ever. 

“All this for a map to Skywalker?” he said, trying to keep the disdain out of his voice.

“He’s the key to everything,” she said, the words coming straight from Leia Organa’s brain and out her mouth. 

The pieces were falling into place in his head. A Force sensitive girl. The need to find Luke. So much so that he couldn’t stop the next words from leaving his mouth. “What, is he coming to train you or something?”

The temperature in the jungle dropped several degrees at the sound in her voice. “Leia has done just fine with my training, thank you very much.” 

Poe let it slide, not wanting to go down that road with her. Judging by the careful way she was looking at him, he’d already said too much. And he’d never hear the end of it if she knew…

“How is it again that you were never approached for the Resistance?”

Of course he couldn’t be that lucky. Poe turned to meet her gaze, those eyes too intelligent to not see right through him. 

When he didn’t answer, she went on, “Because I saw your file. Marked it for recruitment myself. You were everything we were looking for and more. So why didn’t Leia pursue you?”

All thoughts of telling her the truth had gone out of his head at the mention of Luke’s name, his decision to be honest with her last night a distant memory.

“Guess I didn’t make the cut,” he said with a shrug, taking care to keep his voice and face perfectly neutral. “Leia must have seen something you didn’t.”

He didn’t believe he was fooling anyone, but thankfully Rey let it go as the pitter patter of rain in the trees picked up, more and more making it through the dense foliage and onto their heads as they walked on. Already, Poe’s curls were suffering, turning downright unruly in the humidity. Though next to him, Rey seemed unperturbed, her own dark brown locks securely fastened in three stacked buns along the back of her head. An odd style, but an effective one, judging by how neat she looked, even without putting up the hood to her poncho.

Without warning, the rain became a deluge, the canopy no longer able to shelter them from the storm. A flash illuminated everything around them for a split second, the thunder following close behind.

“The old base is just through here,” he shouted over the cacophony, pointing to the west. “We should be able to find some shelter there until this passes.”

BB-8 shot ahead to scout, Rey following closely behind Poe as he led them toward the clearing. 

Her hood was up now, and Poe found himself regretting declining his father’s offer of a poncho for himself. His leather jacket kept him mostly dry - head excluded - but it was stifling in the thick humidity of the jungle. 

Just then, the trees opened up, revealing a wide clearing dotted with massive stone temples. The old Rebel Base.

He heard a sharp intake of breath from Rey next to him. 

Though the pyramids were as familiar to him as his own face in the mirror, he understood the reaction. This place was like a living, breathing piece of history, steeped in the mythos of the Rebellion. Even he could feel it in the air, and he was about as Force sensitive as a potato.

But Rey was looking around as if she could see the history of the place unfolding before her very eyes. And who knew, maybe she could. He had no idea how the Force worked.

Though he did know how Yavin weather worked, and that they’d do best to take cover and take cover quickly as the storm geared up around them. He scanned for BB-8, finding his little droid at the opening for the Great Temple.

“Come on,” he said, grabbing Rey’s arm. “Over here.”

The rain had left her skin slick, so he found his grip slipping, down her arm and past her wrist until his fingers linked with hers. Overhead, lightning tore through the sky, followed by another crack of thunder.

By the time they made it to the safety of the open temple, Poe was soaked to the bone and dripping. A quick look over at Rey revealed her to be not only dry thanks to that ridiculous poncho but smiling widely, one hand reaching out into the rain - again - to let it trickle through her fingers.

Any animosity he’d been feeling towards her or the Resistance trickled away just as quickly as that water when she turned that smile on him, somehow still not sick of the rain even after traipsing through it for the better part of an hour. It was nice to know her own coolness toward him had thawed as well. 

“What?” she asked, seeing whatever look crossed his face. Then, stepping closer, “You’re all wet.”

He put on his best smile, one that used to always get him a companion for the night at the cantina on Brooksdion if he so chose. “Isn’t that my line?”

It had the intended effect as Rey threw back her head and laughed, a bright and bubbling sound completely at odds with the storm raging outside. Suddenly, Poe found himself warm despite the state of his clothes.

“You’ve got that right,” she said, by way of answer, one hand coming up to push the drenched curls off his forehead, while the other wrapped his neck. “Think we can do something about that?”

Rey brought her lips to his, the length of that lithe frame pressed against him.

Oh gods, how much he wanted to. Even she could probably feel it through multiple layers of clothes and that fucking poncho. Just take her deeper into the base and bend her over one of the consoles (if she was into something like that). But his father’s warning played over and over in his head. If Kes Dameron said 1600, then Kes Dameron meant 1600.

She paused in her explorations of his mouth long enough to get out, “I sense some hesitation.”

Poe chuckled, the sound immediately swallowed by her mouth. Finally, he managed to gather his wits long enough to pull back. “We’re kind of on the clock here.”

She grabbed his left wrist, tilting her head to look at the chronometer there. “We still have a half hour.” Her lips curled into an absolutely wicked grin. “What, you don’t think you could make me come in that time?” She leaned over, her next words spoken directly into his ear. “I have faith in you, Poe Dameron.”

He repressed a shiver. Every fiber of his being wanted this, wanted her. Never had he felt anything like this all-consuming need. It threatened to devour him whole anytime she was near. But still that clock ticked away in the back of his head. 25 minutes to go.

“Raincheck?” he asked, already hating himself for it.

Rey groaned. “Has anybody ever told you that you’re no fun?”

“Lately? All the damn time.” 

She laughed, letting him lead her back out into the clearing around the old base. The rain had slowed back down to a drizzle, though for how long Poe could only guess. You had to love rainy season.

He whistled. “Come on, Bee!”

BB-8 appeared from the depths of the temple, covered in enough mud and dust to make him look like a 9E and beeping something rather snide about what he’d almost just witnessed. Rey snorted into her hand. 

“I can see why you kept him,” she said, reaching down to pat Bee’s dome. He absolutely preened under the attention. Suck up.

They dove back into the jungle, Poe putting a hand up when they got close. Rey seemed to get the message, her feet going eerily silent in the underbrush as they inched their way closer through the mud. Right, Jedi.

The trees around them thinned, their tops sheared clean off thanks to Rey’s impromptu landing. Here and there, burn marks appeared. Then sure enough, a small opening in the trees revealed not only the downed X-wing but the three stormtroopers guarding it.

In silence, they crouched down into the muck, BB-8 nudging his way between them. Nosy. Together they watched as the troopers half heartedly took turns patrolling, none of them paying any particular attention to their surroundings. One picked at a scuff on his armor with one gloved hand, while a second sat on a stump examining their blaster, and a third took a perfunctory turn around the clearing, heart not really in it.

“Of all the shitty luck,” said trooper 2, putting down her blaster. She leaned back, making herself comfortable.

Trooper 3 stopped his apathetic parade, turning toward his comrade. “What, you got something better to do?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” answered trooper 2, her attention on her snarky counterpart. “Rumor has it that Hux’s pet project is complete. Squadrons were being recalled to the base as we got dispatched.”

Next to him, Rey stiffened, her breaths heavy in the dense wood.

Poe may have been lost, but those words certainly got trooper 3’s attention. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“If you think I’m saying it’s time for a light show, then I’d say yeah.” Though her face remained the blank slate of her helmet, Poe could almost imagine a wry smile underneath.

“Well kriff, how quick can we get off this shithole?”

All three of them burst into strange, monotone laughter, surely a by-product of the helmets’ vocators. 

Just then, a series of bangs issued from out of range, all three troopers jumping to attention. There must have been a call over the comms because the female, ostensibly the leader of their little cohort, barked, “Come on, they need us in the square,” before all three disappeared from view, their heavy footfalls echoing through the jungle around them. 

He turned to Rey, his own look of consternation mirrored back at him. “You sure your dad’s just a farmer?” she asked, brows nearly disappearing under the hood of her poncho. It almost felt leading, like she was trying to tell him something.

He just shook his head in disbelief. “Fucked if I know anymore.” Sticking his head into the clearing, he double checked that the coast was clear. “Come on, before they come back.”

With his heart in his throat, he led Rey into the little clearing created by her X-wing, the rebel Jedi not wasting any time getting to work. She immediately scaled the burned out husk of her ship, torso disappearing as she dug around for the datastick.

Bee patrolled the clearing while Poe remained alert for any sound, the borrowed blaster making its way from the bag to his hand. Just in case. 

“You really think it's still in there?” he called out softly as the rain started to pick up again. Thankfully, the thick mud in the clearing was a mess of footprints, their own blending seamlessly into the rest.

By way of answer, Rey kept digging, her feet sticking out of the ship at an odd angle. A second later, she emerged victorious, holding the datastick above her head. “I do and it was,” she said, Poe coming over to help her from the downed craft.

She landed mere inches from him, kicking up mud from the swampy jungle floor. That earlier smile had returned to her face, shadowed only slightly by whatever those troopers had been talking about. He knew better than to ask. He did it anyway.

“What were they talking about earlier? ‘Hux’s pet project?’ ‘The light show?’”

“Who knows?” she answered smoothly, her face never so much as twitching. But despite her sabacc face, Poe knew in his bones that she was lying. “Probably just running their mouths.” Her face turned to concern at something Poe couldn’t hear. “But we should get out of here before they come back.” The smile returned, a little more playful this time. “And speaking of mouths, I have a few things I’d like to try with yours.”

Poe’s lip curled. She was handling him, that much was clear. But he found he didn’t care. Let her have her secrets. Force knew he had enough of his own. As long as he had her, it didn’t matter.

Instantly, he realized how stupid that was. 

It would do no good to become attached to her. Rey would be gone, sooner not later, and he would be wise to remember that. Too bad no one had ever accused him of being wise.

After securing the datastick in the pack, they took back off into the jungle, retracing their steps and racing against the rapidly setting sun. The constant rain had softened the ground, leaving them to slip and slide as sludge caked their boots, their pants, even splashing up to their faces on occasion, a smear across Rey’s forehead so endearing to him he couldn’t help but smile. It didn’t help that Bee had gone ahead, spraying mud at them in his wake.

They lost the light quickly, the path becoming downright treacherous for anyone who wasn’t familiar with it. Like Rey. Which was why it was no surprise to Poe when she got ahead of him a few minutes later and promptly went down in the mud.

“Ugh,” she groaned, her pants and poncho now covered in the sweet smelling filth. 

Poe chuckled, extending a hand. “I warned you not to get too cocky.”

“Oh really?” she answered, accepting the proffered hand and promptly yanking him to the ground with her.

He landed on top of her with an “oof,” the sludge immediately starting to seep into his pants. 

“What the hell?” 

She smiled, the white of her teeth barely visible in the dark. “Wouldn’t want you to get too cocky.”

At that, he burst out laughing, picking himself up and giving her a hand along the way. Even though she definitely didn’t deserve it.

“Come on, it’s just through those trees,” he added, not letting go of her hand.

She stopped, tugging him back just before he broke through the foliage to the farm on the other side, and pulled him into a searing, if muddy, kiss.

“Do I get to cash in that raincheck now?” she asked, eyes taking on the color of the mud in the gloom. 

He pretended to think it through. “I don’t know, maybe after a shower? You smell like a swamp.”

He took her swat with grace.

“Like you’re any better!”

“And whose fault is that?”

Her laugh tinkled through the trees like chimes on the wind. 

“Are you two trying to be as loud as possible?” asked Kes from just on the other side of the trees. “Or is that just an innate talent?”

Poe shook his head. Kes Dameron and his impeccable timing struck again.

They stepped out of the jungle, finding Kes waiting with an absolutely filthy BB-8. He raised his brows at the sight of them. “You know what, I’m not even gonna ask. Did you get the datastick?”

Rey smiled, digging into the pack for a second before emerging victorious. Opening her hand, she showed Kes their haul.

“Excellent,” Kes said with a smile, stopping short of patting Rey on the back. These two. “Though by the looks of you, you apparently needed to wrestle for it.” His eyes twinkled. “Maybe use the shower in the barn before coming to the house. I just got the place cleaned up.”

He turned heel, making his way back toward the waiting house.

“You don’t want to talk about how you managed a distraction on such short notice?” Poe called after him. “What was that? An explosion?”

Kes paused, hands in his pockets. “You’re right, I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll send a droid out with fresh clothes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think about all these little revelations.
> 
> I'll be on vacation for the next twelve days, so I might be posting at odd times (nothing new) but everything is edited and ready to go so I shouldn't miss a day. So join me on Wednesday for what I've been referring to as "There Was Only One Shower."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was only one shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings from the house of the mouse! I’m about to run to a theme park, so without further ado, enjoy!

Poe watched him go, mouth agape. “Yeah, I’m definitely starting to think there’s more going on here than koyo farming.”

“Come on.” She tugged his hand toward the barn, ignoring his last comment. “I heard a rumor that I’d get lucky after a shower.” Rey’s laugh tinkled through the air, musical as ever. 

She didn’t have to tell him twice, Poe taking the lead to the shower his dad had put in the barn a few years ago for this exact purpose. Well, maybe not this exact purpose, but similar enough.

“You can have the first shower,” he said, turning on the water. He put his hand under the stream, waiting for it to go warm. In the corner, Rey watched silently, a look on her face he was beginning to recognize. Mischief. She was up to no good.

“Or…” She approached him, arms draping over his filthy shoulders. “We could both take the first shower. In the interest of conserving water.”

He let a smile creep across his face. “To conserve water.”

“Of course. You can take the girl off Jakku and all that...”

“No other reason?”

Rey smirked at him. “Well, I mean, if we’re already in there I can think of another way to spend our time.”

It struck him how easy things had become between them, this back and forth they had. He’d barely known her for a couple days and all he wanted was more. More time, more of her, just more. A dangerous kind of wish. One that he knew would break his heart in the end.

Ignoring his own warnings, he brought a hand up to cup her cheek, a smear of mud appearing on that pale, pale skin. It was Rey who closed the distance between them, Rey who started peeling the layers of clothes away, Rey who walked them under the warm stream. 

Instantly, the mud began to melt away, and any reservations he’d had along with it. His hands skimmed across her willowy form, taking in every inch of that smooth skin. Though the worst of the mud was gone, grit scraped under his palms, invisible to the naked eye but still there. When he made it to her back, he tried not to hesitate at those raised marks, Rey shivering slightly as his callused hands brushed against the sensitive flesh. 

Not wanting to be left out of the fun, Rey dragged his mouth to hers, her own hands ghosting over the golden brown of his bare skin. If she was surprised by the scars littering his own body, she showed no hint of it, her exploration steady, methodical, patient as the water fell around them.

On top his shoulders, where the right bore a band of gnarled flesh courtesy of an old sword wound. Down the muscles of his arms, honed over years on the farm. Up his stomach and past the mark left by a very angry Zabrak. Over another healed slash on his ribs and the sprinkling of hair on his chest. All the scars of his youth laid bare, and she didn’t so much as flinch. In fact, she paused her exploration only when she hit the silver ring that hung from a chain around his neck. Her expression was nearly as curious as her fingers when she traced the shape of it, but Rey made no comment, asked no questions. Finally, she landed at his hips, dragging her hands back to cup his ass, pressing him closer to her.

Her hands lingered, admiring the twin swells of flesh. Once upon a time, he’d been told it was his best feature. Rey seemed to agree.

“Fuck me,” she commanded, her voice low and rough. 

Poe felt his eyes go wide. “Out here?”

“I want you to make me scream.” 

Well if that didn’t make him hard, nothing would. 

“Unless, of course, you don’t mind Kes hearing…” Her face was completely guileless, but Poe knew what was up.

By way of answer, he looped his arms under her thighs, lifting and pressing her into the shower wall for leverage while her legs wrapped around his hips. There were easier ways to do this, but Poe had never been one to back down from a challenge. Plus, he wanted to see that pretty face of hers when he made her come. So it took some maneuvering, and more than one fit of shared laughter, but finally he slipped inside, her grip tightening around his shoulders.

He groaned, Rey echoing the sound as he bottomed out. This would have to be quick. Poe was stronger than most thanks to the years of farmwork, and Rey was light as a feather, but he couldn’t hold her indefinitely with that shoulder in its current state. Plus, there was no way he was going to last that long.

By the sound of it, neither would Rey, the pants and moans falling from her lips to bounce off the walls around them already coming fast and furious. There was no need to be quiet out here, no one to overhear their encounter. And Rey did not disappoint, every snap of his hips earning him a sound in return. A gasp. A helpless mewl. A whispered curse. Already, she was tightening around him, the fast and rough pace obviously doing something for her. 

He dipped his head, skimming his lips across her neck, the taste of her skin so sweet he could mistake it for koyo. She moaned when he found a spot behind her ear, one of her hands dipping between them as he lavished attention on it.

Soon enough, her sounds became helpless, her movements less deliberate. There was white noise building in his head and a scream building in her throat as he pressed up and in one final time before coming with the force of lightspeed jump.

His hips still and he struggled to stay upright when Rey went boneless in his arms, Poe easing her down onto her own feet while their chests still heaved. 

A soft and tired smile played across her lips as she leaned back against the wall, her arms never leaving his shoulders. “Best. Idea. Ever.”

Poe let out a barking laugh, resting his forehead against hers while the rapidly cooling water continued to fall around them. “Agreed. Though we should probably wash before the hot water runs out.”

He reached for the shampoo, Rey deftly lifting it out of his hands. “Allow me.” She motioned for him to turn around.

It felt like heaven itself when her fingers found his scalp a second later, working his curls into a lather from the base. Poe couldn’t remember the last time someone had touched him like this. Maybe it was never. But he knew he wanted to do it again.

“You have such pretty hair,” she whispered in his ear, those fingertips releasing tension with each pass. “It’s even softer than I imagined.”

He wouldn’t have thought it possible, but his cock gave a twitch. Not quite hard, not yet, but indicating it was willing to try again.

Slowly, he turned to face her. “You can pull it a little. If you wanted to. I like that.”

Rey smiled, burying both hands in his sudsy curls, the soft yank hitting him right in the gut.

Tipping his head back, he stepped into the stream, letting the soap run down his body. Once he was sure it was out, he turned back to Rey. “Your turn.”

She turned so her back faced him, displaying the marks there for the first time. 

His fingertips hadn’t prepared him for this. Thin lines criss-crossed her back, healed but still pink and angry against the pale beige of the rest of her. It was quite obvious that she’d been beaten, repeatedly, with a switch or perhaps a narrow belt, maybe even a wire. No wonder she’d been so keen to join the Resistance. 

Through his examination she held her head high, almost daring him to comment on it. Instead, he ran a flat palm over that violence on her skin, leaning forward to press a kiss to the base of her neck. She had given him the courtesy of discretion, and he’d do the same for her. Rey shivered slightly under the attention.

Then he began the process of releasing her hair from those buns, removing the leather ties until her brown hair pooled around her shoulders. Those strands were like silk between his fingers, the blunt tips bringing up a lather. Her head fell back against his shoulder, her face staring up with a look that begged kisses. And who was he to deny her, his lips soft when they found hers.

They lingered in it, the water washing the suds down his chest and back. When they finally parted, she rinsed the rest out while Poe found a bar of soap to lather up his hands.

The remainder of the mud washed away easily under his careful ministrations, palms passing over every inch of her skin.

She winced when his hands found the bacta patches he’d applied two nights ago, Poe getting a little shock to see them at all. If he was being honest, he’d completely forgotten that she’d been hurt, what with the lifting koyos and climbing into crashed X-wings, not to mention their most recent aerobic activities.

“May I?” he asked, fingers fiddling with the edge.

Rey nodded, taking in a sharp breath as he peeled the rest of the patches away. Where there should have been an unblemished stretch of creamy skin, or at the very most the greenish grey of old bruise, a cloud of angry purple stretched from her ribcage to her hip bone, mottled and dark in the dim light. 

His fingers gently probed the area, earning another hiss of pain. He looked into those bright eyes, narrowed now in pain. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Would you have touched me if I had?”

The question was practically rhetorical. They both knew the answer without Poe having to say a word.

“I’m not some fragile doll,” she continued, the set of her head a challenge, “I can take care of myself.”

He’d seen that with his own two eyes not even five minutes before. 

“I never said you couldn’t. Will you at least let me rebandage it in the house?”

“It’ll heal on its own. I’ve had worse.” She dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand. 

Poe recognized a wall when he saw it. Not that he could blame her, those marks on her back coming to the forefront of his mind. She’d had worse, indeed. And having seen that, no one could accuse her of being weak or fragile. But admitting you were in pain, didn’t make you either of those things. Nor did asking for help. It was a lesson he’d do well to remember for himself. 

“That doesn’t mean you have to now.” The irony was not lost on him as he brought one hand up to her cheek, his thumb stroking across the bone. Rey’s eyes fell closed at the touch, her body leaning ever so slightly toward him. “May I?”

She gave him a wary look, but at her nod of assent Poe carefully dropped to his knees, bringing her injury to eye level. Tracing it with his thumb first, he pressed the softest of kisses on the worst of it, Rey’s fingers burying themselves in his wet curls.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice so quiet he barely heard her over the running water.

“An old Yavinese remedy,” he answered, continuing to kiss along the edge. “A kiss to make it better.”

Rey huffed a laugh. Progress. “And that works?”

“I’ve never had any complaints.”

This laugh was felt more than heard, low as it was in her belly. So Poe spent the remaining minutes before the hot water gave out all together kissing it better, the two escaping the cold water when gooseflesh began to appear.

As promised, fresh clothes were waiting for them. Poe tried not to think about what that droid may have heard while dropping them off as they toweled off, rubbing some warmth back into their now-frozen limbs. Poe watched as Rey shrugged on an old tank top of his, one he used to work out in. It hung low on her much narrower frame, showing off a constellation of freckles on her shoulders and chest that he’d never really noticed before. He had to say, the damn thing looked way better on her.

He watched while she stepped into a pair of his old sweatpants, rolling the waist once, twice before they’d stay up on their own. Naturally, she called him out on it.

“What is it this time?”

Poe finished putting on his own shirt before he answered, “Just thinking how much less creepy it is to want you when you aren’t wearing my mother’s clothes.”

Rey’s tinkling laugh filled the small space. “Ok, I can definitely see that.” She stepped into his arms, her kisses turning from sweet to determined in an instant. 

Her tongue slid against his, already familiar in its sweetness. The taste of her was more intoxicating than the finest Corellian whiskey, flooding every sense and bewitching his mind until all he knew was Rey. They’d just gotten dressed and he was already itching to tear those clothes from her body. It took everything he had to pull away.

“We should get back before Dad comes looking,” he said, brushing a lock of damp hair from her face. “Make our excuses. Turn in.”

A slow smile crept across her face. “I like the way you think.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steamy, no? See you Monday!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The information on the datastick brings up more questions than answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings from my balcony! I’m going to apologize in advance because this chapter is rather short, but I had to split it from the next chapter because it got too unwieldy. Any way, hope you enjoy!

So they made for the house at a run, the rain still coming down in earnest. If they weren’t careful, they’d end up covered in mud. Again. But Poe didn’t care, not when Rey’s hand was warm in his own, and her laughter rang out against the night sky. 

Would he ever grow tired of that sound? All signs pointed to no, but a small voice in the back of his head reminded him that he wouldn’t have that opportunity. Fine. Then he’d just have to make the most of his current situation.

The welcome reprieve of the front porch brought them together once more, Poe pulling her into his arms. He didn’t fail to notice the way his shirt stuck to her skin in the most fascinating of ways, the white going translucent thanks to their jaunt in the rain. She was cold, as evidenced by the twin peaks of her nipples, rosy and perfect as they poked through the fabric. He could definitely do something about that.

Bringing his lips to hers, he let the heat build, her body responding in kind to every stroke of his tongue. She was so impossibly soft in his arms, he forgot about everything else. The datastick. The First Order. Everything. Warmth flooded his system, and Rey leaned against him trying to chase it, the length of her body pressed to his.

Things were really starting to heat up, Rey’s cold hands creeping under his shirt, when a flash from the sky sent them jumping apart. 

“We should probably get inside before we get struck by lightning,” she said over the answering clap of thunder.

At this point, Poe doubted he’d even notice. Every time he looked in her eyes, it felt like he’d already been struck. “It’s a one in a million.”

“After these last few days, I’m not taking any chances.” She paused, her smile turning impish in the light. “And the sooner we get in, the sooner we-”

Poe kissed the rest of that sentence right off her lips. He didn’t need to hear it, not when he knew exactly what she was trying to say.

He pressed her back against the door, his lips hovering a mere breath away from hers while one hand reached behind her to rest on the knob. She smiled at his bait, tilting her head up to try and close the distance, only to have Poe’s lips slip just out of reach.

“So eager,” he whispered, not bothering to hide his smirk.

“Tease,” she responded in kind.

But then Rey bit down on her lip and he was a goner, all thoughts of drawing it out lost in his haste to kiss her.

Finally, he turned the knob and they broke apart just long enough to walk through the door, Poe going in for another kiss as soon as they had cleared the threshold.

“Ahem.” Kes cleared his throat loud enough to stop Poe in his tracks. Though for once, he couldn’t muster up the embarrassment. Let the old man watch. “I take it we’re finally out of hot water.”

Rey stifled a laugh, her face contorting into a wince a second later from the effort. 

Poe knew an opportunity to change the subject when he saw one. “Do we have any bacta? Rey’s hurt.”

Immediately, her expression shifted to anger, the swat she repaid him with harder than was strictly necessary. 

“I’m fine,” she said through bared teeth, directing her ire toward Poe. “It’s nothing.”

But once spoken out loud, Poe knew Kes would never let it go. For once, his dad didn’t disappoint. “Come on then, let’s see it.”

Kes led her into the kitchen where the light was best, directing her to sit in one of the wooden chairs around the table. With one final dirty look in Poe’s direction, she lifted the shirt.

His father gave a low whistle. “That’s some bruise.”

It looked even worse in the light, the purple so dark it was almost black against her creamy skin.

“The rib is broken,” Poe offered, ignoring Rey’s continued annoyance. “I put bacta patches on it, but they must have been bad.”

“From the barn?” Poe nodded. “Kriff, those are nearly as old as she is. No wonder they didn’t work. I’ve got some new ones upstairs, should do the trick.” He crossed the room with the brisk, efficient steps of a man on a mission. If there was one thing you could count on Kes Dameron for, it was fixing problems. “I’ll be right back.”

He was barely out of earshot when Rey turned on Poe. “What was that about?”

“You needed to get patched up.” He put up a hand when Rey tried to interrupt him. “And I needed my dad to stop looking at us like we’d just fucked in the barn. Win-win.”

“But we did just fuck in the barn.”

“He doesn’t need to know that.” 

“I’m pretty sure the whole planet knows that.” Rey’s smile turned wry. “So much for a quick getaway.”

Kes chose that moment to return, wasting no time in getting to work. Poe sat patiently watching, trying not to think about the fact that she wasn’t wearing anything underneath his shirt. It wouldn’t do to get himself worked up now. No telling how long Kes would keep them.

“How’s that feel?” his father asked as he put the finishing touches on the bandage, this one large enough to cover the whole area. He smoothed down the edges with a practiced hand.

“Better already.” Poe couldn’t tell whether or not she was lying, only that the words were plainly for his benefit. 

“Glad to hear it.” Kes fixed her with one of  _ those _ stares. The one that made it impossible not to give him exactly what he wanted. “So, do we get to see what information we’re risking our lives for?”

He would have expected her expression to darken, her mouth and eyes to take on that stubborn set it got when she clammed up, but instead she and Kes exchanged a long look that had less to do with her reluctance in sharing classified information with him and more to do with sharing it in front of  _ Poe _ . He bristled. What the hells was happening here?

But Rey apparently got over her trepidation quickly, and with a nod, she beckoned BB-8 forward, just as clean now as they were. 

His droid opened up a port, Rey pulling the stick from gods knew where and dropping it in. Bee rolled back a few feet before projecting the contents for all to see.

Stars exploded into view, a corner of the galaxy wholly unknown to Poe. Not that he was much of an astronomer, or a cartographer for that matter, but he could generally figure out where in the galaxy he was with a few landmarks. Though here, there wasn’t a single thing that looked familiar.

And Rey seemed in no better shape than he was. “No, no, no,” she chanted, the words little more than breath. 

“What?” Poe placed a hand on her shoulder, but she didn’t even notice.

She was looking at Kes when she said, “It’s only a piece. This was all only for a piece of the map.” She stepped forward, asking BB to blow up the image. 

Planets and stars filled the room, Rey walking through the holograms to examine them from every angle. With each step, her face fell further. “I don’t recognize a single star, planet, moon,” she said, her voice utterly defeated. “Nothing.”

Across the room, Kes crossed his arms.

“Then it’s all the more important that you get back to base,” he said, words as steely as his expression. This was obviously not the first time they’d had this conversation, though Poe couldn’t figure out why Kes would be rubbing it in that she couldn’t reach the Resistance. That seemed unusually cruel. “Perhaps they have the rest of it.”

Rey looked guilty for a second before they entered into another silent exchange, each apparently more stubborn than the other while they stared each other down. Poe watched in concern for a moment before Rey stalked off and out the front door without another word.

He waited until the door clicked shut to turn on his father. “What was that all about?” 

For a moment he thought Kes was ignoring him when he nodded at BB-8 to shut the projection down. The map clicked off, leaving the room to feel strangely empty in its wake. But finally he turned to Poe and spoke. “I asked you to do one thing. Let her be.”

Force alive, they were back to this again? “What does that have to do with this?”

“Oh, Poe,” he shook his head like he was dealing with an unruly toddler. “Everything. It has everything to do with this. Tell me, have you changed your mind? Are you now planning on joining the Resistance?”

Poe’s face automatically screwed up in disgust. “No, of course not.”

“Then how do you think this is going to end?” He put a hand up to stop Poe from butting in. “And don’t tell me that you’re just having fun. I have eyes Poe, I can see the way you look at her.”

At that, Poe went back to one of his old standards: denial. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you don’t.” He sighed heavily, taking a step back. 

“Is this because she’s Resistance?” It was the only thing he could think of. Kes had always been pretty tight lipped with his feelings about the Resistance, but Poe had just assumed he landed on the side of for. Maybe he’d been wrong.

Kes laughed, the sound brittle to Poe’s ears. “No, if she was just Resistance, this would be a different story. But she’s a Jedi, Poe. One of the last, if my math is correct. Do you really think that Leia Organa is just going to accept that one of the last Jedi got lost in Outer Rim and move on?”

Well, when he put it like that.

“No, she’s going to turn this galaxy upside down looking for that girl. Look what they’re doing to try and find Luke Skywalker and he’s been missing for years. And when she finds her, they’ll both be gone without so much as a backward look.”

Deep down, Poe knew that. He had been willfully ignoring it, but he knew it. Yet, something about hearing it aloud, and from his dad no less, hit differently.

But that didn’t mean he was going to admit it. “Rey’s not like that.”

“You’ve known her for two days.” Kes shook his head, always so disappointed in him. “You have no idea what she’s like.”

At whatever look crossed Poe’s face, Kes softened, one hand coming up to rest on his shoulder. “Listen, I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Again.”

Kes’s words hung in the air, the ones he said weighing just as heavily on Poe as the ones he didn’t. 

They didn’t talk about these things. Ever. It was how the Dameron men had survived all these years, every tragedy that befell them. The war? Didn’t talk about it. Mom? Didn’t talk about it. Poe running away at 16, nearly getting killed, and returning home with his tail between his legs and a new calling? Did. Not. Talk about it.

But most of all, they didn’t talk about what happened three years ago that sent him scurrying back home for the second time in his life, broken and bruised and bitter. The event that had finally stolen the optimism that even the Spice Runners of Kijimi and the Bliss women hadn’t been able to take from him. And they weren’t about to start now.

“I’m a 32 year old man, I don’t need you to protect me.” Poe shrugged out of his father’s grip, turning toward the door. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to try to find our guest you ran off.”

“Poe…”

But Poe ignored his father’s plea, grabbing a blanket off the couch before heading out the front door to find Rey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you Wednesday for a little comfort in the storm and soft, domestic fluff.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the strange fight with his father, Poe finds Rey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bright Suns! I spent all day yesterday nerding out once again in Galaxy’s Edge and adding to my already impressive (read: excessive) picture collection. So I’m definitely ready to hop back into this universe.
> 
> Let’s have some hurt/comfort, shall we?

Outside, the temperature had dropped, rain running off the roof in steady streams. It was coming down in droves, so thick Poe could barely make out the barn in the distance. She could be anywhere by now, taken off into the night. 

His mind reeled from the revelations of the evening. Hells, the revelations of the whole kriffing day. It struck him that his father was right on at least one account - there was a lot he didn’t know about Just Rey. And don’t even get him started on his father.

Hidden rooms, secret maps, the ability to pull together a massive distraction in less than an hour. His dad’s shady shit was piling up higher than Poe could rightfully ignore. Not to mention that there was something he and Rey were keeping from him. It was like they spoke in code, words carefully chosen to keep Poe in the dark. And there was nothing random about those exchanged glances. 

But first, he had to find her. She couldn’t have gotten far in this weather, maybe to the barn at most. He’d start there.

It turned out that he didn’t even need to go that far, a creak indicating he was not alone on the porch.

When he turned, he found Rey on the old porch swing, knees tucked to her chest. She looked so small there, folded as she was, the shivers wracking her body visible even from across the porch. All questions and suspicion flew from his mind as he crossed the space, tossing the blanket over her shoulders as he dropped down next to her.

“It was all for nothing,” she said, after a minute or so of silence. Her voice sounded dull, lifeless. “The death, the crash, putting you in danger, all for an incomplete map.”

The death? What the hells had happened before she crashed on Yavin 4? But Poe put it from his mind. It was obvious that she wouldn’t reveal that on a normal day, so he’d pretend she didn’t now. Instead, he put an arm around her and drew her close, Rey melting into his side, her still-damp head on his shoulder. 

“You don’t know that. So, you got a piece. Maybe Dad’s right and the Resistance has the rest.”

Rey nodded, not necessarily in agreement, but more likely because she simply wanted the conversation to be over.

Outside their little bubble of dry, the storm raged on, oblivious to the two of them and their plight. A cool wind sent shivers through Rey once more, Poe wrapping the blanket around her tighter. “Come on, we should go inside.”

Rey looked up at him, eyes shinier than he was expecting. There was evidence of tears left on her soft cheeks. Even like this, she was pretty enough to take his breath away.

“Just a couple more minutes?” she asked, sounding so defeated there was no way he could deny her.

“Of course.” 

His words were rewarded by Rey nestling down further, shifting until the blanket covered them both. A pocket of warmth in the storm.

He didn’t expect her to say anything further, so it was to his great surprise when she spoke a minute later. “You know, a couple of years ago I would have thought a place like this was a myth. A fairytale made up by the traders in Niima to mess with me. I would have called you a liar if you’d told me there was this much green in the whole galaxy, let alone on a single planet.”

A wistful sadness coated every word, so palpable Poe could almost taste it on his tongue. He imagined a girl, honed by the desert sands, looking across the flat, beige landscape and dreaming of green. It left a solid ache in his chest.

“I’ve been to dozens of planets, now,” she continued, unaware of the turn his thoughts had taken. “Seen as much green as my eyes could take in. And even all these years later, it still feels a little miraculous.”

He supposed he’d always taken Yavin 4’s beauty for granted. Growing up, this place had been boring, isolated from the hubbub and adventure of the Core. He’d resented Kes for keeping him here, a prisoner of his father’s fears. Now, Yavin 4 had become a prison of his own making, and still Poe resented it, even when he was the only one holding the keys.

But through Rey’s bright eyes, he saw it all in a different light. The whole planet was teeming with life, everything vibrant and colorful and growing. From the rich soil that gave way to all manners of lush and verdant things to the bright hues of the flora and fauna, even the life-giving rain that fell from the sky as they watched. But none more than the tree hidden in the backyard, a connection to the force that gave all life. A peace fell over him that had been largely absent these last years. The feeling of home.

In a couple of days, this woman had managed to completely turn his life upside down. Though the change was a welcome one. It felt as if he’d been sleepwalking for years after that business with the Yissira Zyde and the New Republic’s cover up. And for the first time since he’d stepped foot back on this planet, he felt awake. Alive in a way he hadn’t been since the First Order took everything from him.

An offer sat poised on his lips. A dumb one, one he somehow knew would not be accepted, which is why it didn’t go any further.

Instead, he tilted Rey’s chin up, and placed a kiss upon her lips, soft and warm and more than a little breathless in the cool night air.

“What was that for?” she asked, smiling as she pulled back. 

Poe, unwilling to break their connection, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Just because.” Then, making a decision, “I want to show you something. Tomorrow.” When she looked about to pepper him with questions, he added, “A surprise.” 

“A surprise?” she smiled, seemingly delighted by the news. “What kind of surprise?”

He thought of the tree, standing proud among the massassis, peace and power emanating from every branch. The same feeling he got whenever he was around Rey. Like all was right in the universe.

“You’ll see tomorrow.” At the look she gave him, he laughed. “It’s a good one, I promise.”

She settled back on to his shoulder. “Fine. But I’ll have you know, patience has never a strong suit.”

“You don’t say?” 

He couldn’t even fault her when she jabbed her elbow into his side a second later. “Watch it. I contain multitudes, Poe Dameron.” 

“I’m sure.”

He was about to say more, but the door chose that moment to swing open, revealing his father behind it. Kes took in the cosy scene, his smile only a touch sad when he said, “Dinner’s ready, if you’re hungry.”

Rey was on her feet in an instant. Apparently, even in her current mood, food was still the magic word. 

Dinner was a friendly affair, their earlier row forgotten as Kes regaled them with tales of his time in the Rebel Alliance while Rey listened, wide-eyed and (mostly) open-mouthed. Though Poe had heard it all before - just never in as great a detail as Kes shared that night - Rey hung on his every word. And he supposed that was to be expected. Rebel history was her history. A good number of the old guard had joined Leia when she called, the Resistance practically becoming the old Alliance in all but name.

Come to think of it, wouldn’t Kes have been approached? Poe looked at his father, laughing with Rey over some story about a common acquaintance. He was a decorated veteran, a pathfinder, and a survivor of Endor. Not only had he fought under Han Solo, his wife had flown for both Leia and Luke Skywalker. He should have been high on that list. 

Poe dismissed the thought. Kes had been out of the game far too long to be of any interest to Leia and the Resistance. So he knew a few common people. That certainly didn’t mean there was anything more going on. And anyway, there was no point in trying to understand his father. The man was unknowable.

Case in point, how was the man sitting before him, laughing, talking, joking, the same man who had torn him down not even an hour ago? That wasn’t even getting into the dour man who raised him, so broken, cold, and distant that Poe had run the first chance he got as a kid. It was like he could swap personalities at will these days, stepping into a different self whenever he needed one. A little like Rey had at the market. 

It was thrown from his mind when Kes stood up a second later and started clearing the table. 

“No, no, sit Dad,” said Poe, taking the plates from his hands. A peace offering. If Kes could put it all behind him, then so could Poe. “I’ve got it.”

Kes looked a little impressed. “Don’t have to tell me twice.”

Poe gathered the dishes and started to work at the sink, Rey drifting over a second later to help. They worked well together, Poe scrubbed and rinsed while Rey dried, her hip pressed against his. Being so close and being unable to touch was a torture of a kind, her mere presence intoxicating. 

His father seemed to pick up on it a minute later.

“You know, I’m just gonna check and make sure the barn is secured,” declared Kes out of the blue. It was an obvious excuse, and one Poe was grateful for when he left them alone in the kitchen a moment later.

They exchanged a look.

While he scrubbed at a particularly stubborn bit of sauce, Rey took the opportunity to tell a bawdy joke, something about a hutt, a Jedi, and a princess who walked into a cantina, and Poe threw his head back in barking laughter at the punchline. Her own smile was wide, all teeth, her shoulder bumping against his playfully as they continued to work.

Not caring if they were caught, Poe leaned over, his lips finding hers with a practiced ease. 

It hit him like a bolt of lightning. He was happy. For the first time in gods knew how long, he was actually happy. That felt more dangerous than the game of chicken they were currently playing with the First Order.

Kes cleared his throat at the back of the kitchen. 

Poe wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there, and yet again he didn’t care. Let him see. They had nothing to hide.

“So, I’m gonna call it a night,” Kes said, for once not there to admonish him. He paused, like he was debating saying whatever came next. “Got an early morning in the back field tomorrow, so maybe skip the couch tonight. I’m an old man, I need my beauty sleep.”

And with that he was gone, disappearing into the back of the house and leaving Poe and Rey speechless.

“Did your dad just politely ask us to fuck upstairs tonight so he could sleep?”

“Yup.”

Rey huffed out a wheeze of a laugh. “I think I’m going to die of embarrassment.”

“Welcome to my life,” he said, earning another laugh from Rey. He drew her close, looking in to those gorgeous hazel eyes. “Though it sounds like we have some important work to do. Upstairs.”

Those eyes that now sparkled with mischief. “You’re right. We wouldn’t want to disappoint Kes.”

“Never.”

With a tilt of her head, she closed the gap between them, her tongue slow and methodical in its exploration of his mouth. It was almost too easy to fan their spark into a flame. These moments kept getting away from them.

Though he desperately wanted to, Poe stopped himself short of laying her out on the kitchen table and treating himself to a three course meal. Something told him Kes would not be appreciative.

He pulled back, Rey chasing his lips an inch or two. 

“Upstairs?” he managed to pant out, Rey somehow always stealing the breath from his lungs.

“Upstairs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I’m loving getting all your comments as I’m enjoying the parks. Next up, we have some sexy times accompanied by some truths and backstory. See you Monday!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Poe retire to the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost, huge thanks to those who continue to read/comment/kudos this. You guys are keeping me going through this madhouse we call 2020. Second, I am BACK from vacation and ready to get to work on writing. Side note: After I had the good fortune to stumble upon the lightsaber experience that had been cancelled for me twice (May 4 and September 15, not that I'm counting) and was able to build my own custom saber two days before it was officially set to open (which was incidentally a day after I left Disney), I'm now thinking this fic needs 100% more lightsabers. Time to ponder the last few chapters...
> 
> And now on with the show. We have WARNINGS for this chapter. First thing we have some smut, so if it's not your thing, skip until "They collapsed back onto the mattress."
> 
> Second, we find out how Rey gets her scars here. It's sad and dark, but I don't think it's particularly graphic. Then again, I wrote it so I'm probably a little biased. 
> 
> I think that's all, minus some angsty pillow talk at the end (and whole lot of foreboding). 
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy lucky chapter 13!

And that was how Poe found himself being led to his own room by the hand, Rey pausing every few feet to press another kiss to his waiting lips. As such, it was a slow progress through the house, Poe turning off lights as they went. By the time they made it to the top of the steps, the house was in complete darkness, only the light from Yavin in the night sky guiding their way.

He walked her backwards into the room, taking care to shut the door behind them. No point in coming up here just to wake Kes anyway.

Immediately, clothes started to hit the floor, Poe continuing to walk Rey back until the backs of her knees hit the bed. She sat down with a bounce, dragging Poe along until he was slotted over her.

Already, she was reaching for him, trying to line him up at her entrance, but Poe had other ideas. Tonight, he wanted to take his time with her, worship every inch of that gorgeous body starting at the top.

So he stilled her roving hands and kissed her full on the mouth, letting his lips and tongue show her all the tricks he’d learned over the years. When she was arching up into him, he pulled back, dragging lips over her chin and down her throat. A swirl of his tongue preceded a sucking kiss to her neck, Rey’s answering moan clear and loud in the small bedroom. But there was no need to quiet her this time, so he opted to hear it again, the same motion providing a repeat performance before he moved on.

He dropped tiny pecks along the lines of her collarbones, lingering for a moment at the hollow of her throat. Then it was down, her nipples already peaked from the cool air. Those twin rosebuds begged to be attended to, and Poe wasn’t one to disappoint, laving a flat tongue over one while Rey keened out her pleasure. Her hands found his curls when he took one nipple in his mouth, sucking gently. Just enough to feel it. 

“More,” she directed, and Poe doubled his efforts. 

But it still wasn’t enough. “Harder.” It came out as a command, one he was helpless to obey.

This time, he used his teeth, just a scrape across her sensitive flesh but it was rewarded with a growl of satisfaction, Rey’s fingers tightening around his curls so much it stung. 

Now that was more like it.

Knowing what she liked now made it that much easier when he switched to the other side, her noises coming fast and loud. At this rate, it was possible they’d wake Kes even up here.

But now was not the time to think of his father, not when he was going down, down, down the line of her midsection, carefully avoiding the bacta patches as he kissed the soft skin. She was a lot more ripped than he’d realized, his lips brushing over the edges of a well-defined six pack. Again he found himself in awe of her quiet strength. Though she didn’t look it, he understood with the same certainty he knew his own name that she could trounce him without a second thought. Or breaking a sweat.

And he was more than fine with that.

After a quick diversion at her belly button (and oh how she’d squirmed when he’d used his tongue), Poe found himself at the end of his journey, a few quick kisses over the top of her mound before he was tasting her straight from the source.

Oh how she honest to gods mewled when his lips found her center, the taste sweeter than honey. Her legs fell agape of their own accord, spreading her open like a feast before him and Poe a starving man. He dove in, lips and tongue working overtime to earn those helpless little sounds she made. He’d learned by now that she liked it a little rough, applying that to his technique as he worked her over.

When she was finally squirming under his ministrations, he added two fingers, the slide so slick she would have easily taken three. Pressing his free hand onto her abdomen to hold her steady, he focused all of his considerable talents on her clit, tongue moving in time with his fingers. Then, when he could feel her muscles going taut around him, he crooked those fingers up, Rey keening as she came all wet and messy in his hand. 

She continued to pulse around his fingers as he worked her through it, his mouth not letting up in case he could coax another from her. His patience was rewarded less than a minute later when she came again, this time with a shout so powerful it rattled the pictures on the wall. Though, that may have been the Force.

He hadn’t known the Force worked that way.

Rey melted back into the mattress, her body wracked by aftershocks. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he joined her at the top of the mattress, smoothing a wild piece of hair off her red and sweaty face.

Poe rested a hand on her abdomen, feeling the staccato beat of her pulse under his palm as it rose and fell in time with her breath.

She reached a hand up, fondly patting his stubbled cheek. “I may just keep you,” she panted out.

Poe laughed, letting himself be dragged down for a kiss. It started out lazy, almost sleepy in its intensity, but like always between them it quickly sparked into something more.

Rey, seemingly having regained her strength, guided Poe onto his back, her lips never leaving his as she kissed the taste of herself off his mouth.

When she pulled back, it was only to quest lower, one hand giving him a few pumps before bringing her mouth to join the fun. It had been a while and as such, Poe refused to care about the way his back arched or how quickly his head hit the pillow or any of the ridiculous sounds coming out of his mouth as she wrapped her lips around him. Her mouth was everything good in this world - hells, the whole godsdamned galaxy - warm, wet, and velvet as she enveloped him. 

Poe was a little impressed in spite of himself. He may have been short in stature, but there was nothing here he needed to compensate for, and Rey took him like a champ, a loose fist handling the inches her mouth couldn’t take. She was good at this. Like, really good.

Already his thighs were quaking, the muscles in his stomach jumping in anticipation. If she didn’t stop soon…

As if she’d heard his thoughts - which, realized, was a distinct possibility - she brought her head up with a satisfying pop.

“Ready for me?” she asked, the light in her eyes telling him she already knew the answer.

But he said it out loud anyway. “Always.”

Then he was pulling her into his lap, Rey only needing a second to line up before she was sliding down his length. 

It had only been a few hours, but he missed this, the feeling of her completely around him. She held on to his shoulders as she started to move, strong thighs lifting her before she dropped back down again. Poe buried his face in her shoulder, his lips tasting of salt as he kissed along her skin.

Rey quickly found a rhythm she liked, and Poe just did his best to keep up, thrusting up to meet her movements. 

“Harder,” she said between pants, the word hardly more than breath in his ear.

He had to admire a woman who knew what she liked and asked for it. So he did his best to give her exactly what she wanted, hips moving in perfect sync with hers. 

When she dipped her hand between them, he knew she must be close. And thank the gods. It felt like he’d been hard for hours now, and he was close, so close to feeling that sweet release. But ladies first.

It was another minute before her helpless sounds grew louder, her movements just off beat with his own. Poe buried his face in her neck once more, sucking a mark at that spot behind her ear. Rey came with a shout, Poe not even making it a full pump more before he followed.

They collapsed back on the mattress in a sweaty pile, a tangle of limbs. Rey’s body was blissfully boneless in his arms, her head pillowing on his still heaving chest. 

Without looking she reached up, gently patting his cheek again. “Yup, I definitely want to keep you.” Poe laughed. Placing a kiss on his cheek, she left his arms to go clean up.

Laying back, his mind reeled. In the logical part of his brain he knew it was a joke, something Rey simply said in passing, to be funny, but secretly his heart soared. It was too good between them to be a fleeting thing, two ships just passing in the night. She had to see that. Obviously she did. But as Rey slid back into bed, Poe bit his tongue. Now was not the time to be making such overtures.

She snuggled close, soft and loose in his arms. Languid. Fucked out.

Poe felt eyes on him, and for once it was Rey being caught staring.

“What?” he asked, tracing soft shapes on the canvas of her skin.

“Your hair.” She reached up, running long fingers through his tangled curls. “It’s damn near obscene.”

“Well somebody was rushing me.” He poked playfully at her side, eliciting a squeal out of Rey. She was ticklish. Noted. “Didn’t have time to properly condition.”

Rey laughed, flopping onto her stomach and looking up at him through those dark lashes. “Ah, I’m sorry to have distracted his majesty.”

“As you should be.”

That earned him a half-hearted swat and a laugh, Poe using his new found knowledge of her ticklish spot to pay her back in kind.

It was a minute before the laughter and teasing died down, both settling back down into more comfortable positions. From here, he could see all the marks on her skin, a pattern emerging against the soft white. He traced a finger along the scars, long healed but still written into her flesh. Deep. Permanent.

“I can feel that question spinning around your head, Dameron. Spill it.”

Right. Jedi. He’d do well to remember that. “What happened?”

Though he fully prepared for her to clam up, tell him to (deservedly) mind his own business, her face remained open, if a little sad.

“I lied to you,” she started, her voice carefully even, “about stealing the first ship I found. I actually tried to escape the first time when I was thirteen.” Rey took a shaky breath before going on. “Crawled into a freighter set to take off from Niima Outpost. Unkar was busy trying to shake credits out of the pilot and I saw an opportunity, so I took it. It was a rookie move, not well thought out, barely a plan at all. Unkar caught me almost immediately.”

Poe’s hand stilled on her back, but Rey didn’t notice. Her eyes had gone unfocused, like she was so deep in the story, she couldn’t even see him anymore.

“It was no secret around the outpost that I was a favorite of his, so small I could get places the other scavengers couldn’t dream of and completely fearless to boot. Unkar trained me, watched over me, made sure I got the better jobs despite my age. But he couldn’t be seen as weak in front of the other scavengers, and letting me escape would have been weak. So he had to make an example of me.”

Her words held no heat, more cold, hard resolve than anything else, but that wasn’t the case for Poe. His own childhood, cut short as it was by his mother’s death, had been the kind of idyllic happy that he’d been unsuccessfully chasing ever since. The thought that any child would have to endure such treatment, let alone the perfect creature in front of him, turned his stomach. And right under the New Republic’s nose. Anger bloomed, a rage so powerful it blocked nearly everything else out. Except Rey’s final words.

“One lash for every year of life is the accepted punishment for trying to escape on Jakku. So, I got 13. And they didn’t waste bacta on people who ran.”

His stomach turned over. 

They left a child to heal without medical attention. Bleeding, broken, in pain. Alone. Looking at the marks left behind, he could only imagine the open wounds they’d been, left to fester in that punishing desert sun, untended. He’d been 16, nearly 17, during the whole mess on Kijimi and much better equipped to handle it thanks to his time with the spice runners, yet still those days before he returned home were an awful haze of pain and slow healing that he’d desperately tried to block out over the years. He couldn’t imagine a 13-year-old going through something similar or a galaxy so uncaring as to let this happen, but here they were. And Rey was living proof.

Poe swallowed down his revulsion. “So what did you do after that?”

“Bided my time. Planned.” There was a pause. When she spoke again, her voice was steely, taking on tone that brooked no argument. “And the next time I saw an opportunity, I didn’t get caught. The blaster I stole saw to that.” Her words spoke of a finality that left no room for pity. But Poe couldn’t help himself.

“Gods, Rey…”

She looked at him, her eyes sharp in the darkness. “That. That exact look is why I don’t tell people.”

He immediately schooled his expression with a mumbled, “Sorry.”

It was quiet for a moment, Rey’s silence contemplative in the dark. He was certain he’d ruined something between them, that tacit agreement to ignore the other’s secrets shattering in an instant, when Rey spoke.

“I told you mine, now you tell me yours.” She gave a pointed look at the scars marking his own body, the wounds that had never quite healed the same.

He laughed. Apparently Rey wasn’t one to hold a grudge or dwell too long in the past. And she had told him that bit of her story. It was only fair that he returned the favor.

So Poe took her hand, guiding it to the gnarled band of tissue on his shoulder. “This is from a sword wound courtesy of the leader of the Spice Runners of Kijimi.” Even saying the name sent a shiver up his spine. He remembered the bite of that steel far too well, the feel of his life’s blood leaving his body as Zeva Bliss looked on dispassionately. “An ex-girlfriend’s mother, if you would believe it.”

Though there was a spark of surprise at that, Rey stayed quiet as she explored the old wound, her fingers gentle as they prodded at the ruined flesh. Almost like she could see and feel the damage hiding beneath his skin. And who knew, maybe she could. Maybe she could see the whole thing play out in front of her eyes like it was writ on his body.

But Poe pushed those thoughts away, guiding her hand to that wound’s twin on his ribcage. “This one, too. Let’s just say she was real pissed at me,” he said, lingering only long enough for her fingers to take the shape of it before making the quick trip across his stomach for the final one. “And here is where one angry Zabrak took a chunk of me with her zhaboka.”

Rey’s fingers paused in their exploration. “Zabraks? Swords? Spice Runners? That doesn’t sound much like the life of a New Republic pilot, let alone a farmer.”

“I contain multitudes, Just Rey.” 

Her laugh was high and clear in the dark room. “I bet you do.” There was a pause, and for a moment he thought that the conversation was over. But Rey had questions yet. “And the ring?” she asked. Then more delicately, “A wife?”

Automatically, Poe’s hand went to the object in question, as if he could shield its existence from her eyes. The tale of his scars was one thing. The ring was a completely different story.

Rey seemed to realize she’d touched on something, immediately backpedaling. “You don’t--”

“My mother.” That silenced her. Poe took a deep breath before going on. “She died when I was little. Left me her wedding ring to give to the right partner.”

It took everything he had to unclench the fist around the ring, to not flinch when Rey’s hand came up to touch it. One finger traced the line of the ring, her eyes never leaving it.

“Have you ever..” she started, trailing off for a second to gather her nerves. “Have you ever thought about giving it to someone?”

Poe looked down at her, his eyes connecting with hers when she looked up. Guileless. 

If it was anyone else, or at least someone he’d known more than two days, he’d think it was a leading question, a way to fish for compliments or his true feelings. But this was Rey. If there was one thing he was certain of, it was that she wasn’t after his ring.

“Once,” he answered, hand coming up to cover hers. “It didn’t work out.”

Her smile turned wry. “When her mother stabbed you multiple times?”

Oh, she thought it was Zorii. Must not have read that file as closely as she thought.

“When he died.”

He watched that wry smile slide off her face in a hurry, to be replaced with a wide look of abject horror. “Gods, Poe. I’m so sorry.”

Even though she was the one who pried, for some reason, he wanted to comfort her, cupping her cheek with a gentle hand.

“You didn’t know.” It was becoming a refrain for them. That said a lot more about what was going here than Poe cared to admit.

They were quiet for a long moment, Poe gently stroking the soft skin of Rey’s cheek before she spoke again.

“That’s a heavy burden to place on a kid. To find the right partner.”

Her voice was soft, her gaze watching him carefully.

Poe looked down at the ring, his mind drifting to the promise it held. “It’s a heavy burden to place on a grown man,” he answered.

Silence stretched between them, not quite comfortable this time, the aftermath of all that truth lingering in the air.

Eventually Rey shifted, inching herself closer until she was in his arms again. She settled in, and with a final kiss promptly fell asleep.

Once more, Poe was struck by her confidence in him. This was a woman who didn’t trust easily, and somehow she trusted him. Enough to tell her story. Enough to share her body. Enough to fall asleep in his arms.

It was almost too good to be true. He should have known then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, and there goes the third night on Yavin 4. Only two more chapter before it all comes crashing down. What do you guys think so far? Are you ready for secrets and lies and truths galore? Tune in Wednesday for another fluff fest prior to the big fall.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe takes Rey to her surprise for a diverting afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone order fluff? Because this is aaaaaaall fluff. No warnings, just fluff.
> 
> Also side note: As numerous folks pointed out, I completely forgot to bump up the chapter count on this. And I blew past chapter 15 like a month ago, whoops. So that's been fixed, and we're at a more realistic estimate, though I haven't quite hit the ending of this yet. So have no fear! I'm not going to try to wrap this up in a single chapter.
> 
> Enjoy!

For once, Poe woke with the sun. It had only been a few short hours since they’d fallen asleep after round two (or was it three?), but he felt more alive and awake than he had in years.

Next to him, Rey slept on, her snores soft and endearing in the early morning light. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he slid out of bed, taking care not to jostle the mattress.

He got dressed quickly, shutting the door behind him as he headed for the first floor. As he expected, Kes was already in the kitchen, the caf machine burbling cheerfully as it spat out its goods.

Kes pretended not to be surprised when he caught sight of him in the doorway, like Poe got up this early every day. Like he’d been waiting for him all along.

He turned to fill a mug with fresh caf. “Morning.”

“Morning,” answered Poe, accepting the mug. He drank liberally.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?”

A subtle dig, but not bad all things considered. “Figured I’d see if you needed help in the fields.”

At that, Kes did show a little surprise, one brow quirking up toward his hairline.

“What?” he asked, his father quickly schooling his face.

“Nothing. Nothing at all.” He took a long draft from his own mug. “This girl’s having a good effect on you.”

Poe paused with the mug halfway to his lips. “Was that a compliment?”

“An observation.”

“What, no dire warnings? No cryptic missives?”

He was expecting a wry smile out of Kes, maybe a snide remark. What he found was a look of pity that was quickly replaced with a bland smile. 

“Not today. Come on, let’s get out there before it gets too hot.”

They spent a few hours in the back field, the sun directly overhead when they finally called it. Poe was covered head to toe in dirt, and Kes wasn’t much better off, both dripping sweat as the house came into view.

And there, sitting on the front porch swing with caf in hand, sat Rey, her thin form wrapped in a robe he hadn’t seen for years. 

Her face lit up when she caught sight of them, Poe’s answering smile both wide and automatic. Next to him, Kes let out a heavy sigh. 

“I was wondering what happened to you two,” she said when they were within earshot. “Woke up to an empty house.”

“Well some of us can’t afford to sleep until noon,” Kes laughed, ruffling her hair as he passed. It was such a strangely paternal gesture that Poe couldn’t help but smile. Perhaps his dad was warming up to her. “Is that what they’re teaching you kids in the Resistance these days?”

“Please, I could teach you a thing or two, old man.”

“Oh really.” Kes smirked at her. 

With a lazy wave of her hand, she sent the door he’d been trying to open slamming back closed. “Really.” 

There was a tense moment where nobody knew if she’d gone too far before Kes burst out laughing.

“Got me there, Jedi,” he said, reaching for the door handle again.

“You guys need any more help in the fields?” she asked from her perch on the swing.

Kes waved her off. “Nah. Enjoy the day. Just stick close to the farm. Don’t want those troopers coming back.” And with that directive he was gone, disappearing into the house without another word.

Rey turned to him expectantly.

“I’m just gonna take a quick shower and then…”

“And then it’s time for my surprise?” she finished, barely containing the grin on her face.

“And then it’s time for your surprise.” He pressed a soft kiss onto her lips. “Be ready in 10.”

She was waiting for him on the porch 10 minutes later, back in his mother’s dress and rocking the same three bun style she had been yesterday.

Poe slung his pack over his shoulder and took her hand to lead her into the backyard, past the first field and behind the main barn. When the edge of the jungle came into sight, he made her close her eyes.

“Why?” she half asked, half whined at him. Good to know all the sex hadn’t made her any less stubborn.

He led her a couple steps forward. “Because it’s a surprise. Just a little farther.” He stopped her just short of the little clearing, knowing that she probably already felt the presence.

Sure enough she stiffened, standing up straighter as the strange power of the tree washed over her.

“Open them.”

He watched as the smile slid from her face into a look of disbelief so exaggerated it was almost comical. She turned to him with eyes wide as saucers for confirmation.

“It’s a…”

“Uneti tree,” she whispered to finish his sentence. “But how?”

“I mentioned my mom flew with Luke Skywalker, right?”

Her eyes went even wider, if that was possible. “No, you definitely didn’t.”

“Yeah, he chose her specially for a mission to liberate two clippings from the great tree on Coruscant from Imperial control.” Poe walked forward, almost hypnotized by the familiar pull of the tree. It was the only place on the farm he could still feel his mother’s presence. Almost as if she was standing right next to him. He placed a hand on the smooth bark. “He took one, and the other he made a gift to my mother. Which she planted here.”

He closed his eyes, letting the familiar feeling wash over him. 

It felt like she was standing right behind him, a step, maybe two at most. Close enough to drop a hand on his shoulder.

He’d lost bits and pieces of her over the years - the exact rich caramel of her eyes, the little lines that fanned out from her eyes when she laughed, the feel of her callused hand in his - memories stolen by time. But they always came rushing back the second he touched the tree. Like she’d left a little piece of herself here for him to find whenever he needed it.

He hadn’t realized how much he’d needed this moment. But that was the way of the tree, at least for him. It didn’t necessarily give him what he wanted, but it always showed him exactly what he needed.

When he opened his eyes, Rey was staring at him intently, like he was a particularly vexing puzzle that she just couldn’t quite figure out. 

“What?” he asked, trying not to fidget under the intensity of that gaze. It was like she was seeing right through him, to his very core.

“I just…” she started, then thought better of it. Another second passed before she visibly shook off whatever was going through her mind. “Nothing.”

Weird, but he let it drop, motioning her forward. “Well then, come on, it won’t bite.”

She was hesitant, almost shy as she walked toward the tree with one hand raised. It shook slightly as she reached out and made contact with the tree.

There were no outward signs of what was happening when Rey closed her eyes, no bolts of lightning or strafes of power, but he could feel the air change around them, growing dense with that same feeling he got every time he was near her. Peace and power. Like she was hardwired in to the galaxy around her. 

Her back straightened, her shoulders relaxed, her face went completely smooth. Minutes passed, or maybe they were hours, days, years, time taking on that strange fluid quality as Rey did her thing. And then it was over, Rey’s hand leaving the bark and the air around them returning to normal. Almost as if he’d imagined the whole thing.

But he hadn’t imagined it, not when a slow smile spread across Rey’s face as she turned to meet his gaze, her eyes alight with not only wonder but the soft blue glow of the tree itself.

“Good?” he asked cautiously. 

She blinked, trying to process. “So good. More than good. Amazing.” 

She seemed unable to put it to words, but Poe wouldn’t pry, wouldn’t ask for details. Not when his own experiences with the tree were so personal. Whatever she saw or felt was hers and hers alone.

“Thank you,” she whispered, reaching for his hand. Her grip was strong when she gave it a squeeze. 

She turned her head, taking in the rest of the clearing for the first time. Poe saw it through her eyes, the proud massassis standing sentinel, the lush green of the jungle creeping in. Light filtered through the trees, filling the little copse with warm sunlight. Rey closed her eyes, tilting her face up toward the light. The freckles sprinkled across her cheeks jumped out against the alabaster skin. He couldn’t help but think she looked like an angel, sent by some higher power to bring him back to life.

Without warning, she turned to him, those hazel eyes catching so much light it seemed impossible. “It’s so beautiful here,” she said, breathless.

He kept his gaze steady on her.

“It really is.” He swallowed down the rest of the words on his tongue, the overtures and poetry that threatened to spew forth every time he looked at her. Now was not the time for all that. But it was the time for one last surprise. “But that’s not all.”

Her brow quirked up, but she followed him as he led her just through the trees, to the source of the babbling water. If he’d thought Rey’s eyes were wide earlier, it was nothing compared to that moment. 

A stream ran through the dense jungle, rocks making a low a waterfall that ended in a small pond. Everything was green, from the trees surrounding the little cove to the moss growing on the rocks. It was beautiful even by Yavin standards. And he knew from experience that the water was just right for swimming.

Poe held out a hand. “Care to join me?”

When Rey turned to him, there were honest to gods tears in her eyes, a thin rim of silver threatening to overflow. Once again, he imagined that little girl in Jakku. Maybe she hadn’t dreamed of something like this. Maybe she didn’t even realize that something like this could exist.

She gave him a watery smile before stripping the dress off in one fluid motion and taking off for the pond at a run. There was a delighted scream as she jumped, that beautiful body going airborne for an infinite second before she hit the water with a splash and disappeared beneath the rippling surface.

And didn’t pop back up.

One breath and then a second passed, Poe’s brain immediately going to the worst case scenario. Rey was a child of the desert, there would be no way she knew how to swim. His mind went blank except for one repeating phrase.

_ Not again not again not again… _

He was already stripping off his shirt, about to take off for the small pond at a run, when a head breached the surface, Rey treading water like she’d been doing it all her life. She was smiling up at him, obviously never having been in any danger at all.

“I thought I was supposed to be joining you,” she said in a voice that promised she had plans for when he finally did just that, completely oblivious to the panic and adrenaline that was slowly fading from his system. But not for long. She cocked her head. “Is everything okay?”

Poe quickly shoved all that back down, focusing on the very naked woman in front of him and what promised to be a diverting afternoon. “Of course. Just wasn’t expecting the desert rat to jump feet first into a body of water. Wasn’t even sure you knew what to do with it.”

Rey laughed, the sound embedding itself into his chest. “Oh, I know exactly what I’m doing,” she said, arching up to float on her back. At the movement, those pretty pink nipples peeked out of the water, stiffening as the cooler air rushed over them. “And I’m lonely in here.”

All other thoughts promptly flew out of his head at the sight of all that skin glistening in the sun, and before he quite knew what was happening, his clothes were in a pile on the jungle floor and he was running for the water.

His cannonball landed mere inches from Rey, the splash taking her under with him. When they both emerged a second later - Rey sputtering and Poe laughing - he paddled over to her. The water was cooler than he’d been expecting, probably thanks to yesterday’s rain, but it felt good after the morning in the sun.

“A little warning would have been nice,” coughed Rey, though she was still smiling.

“You said you were lonely.” Poe took her into his arms. “I didn’t want to keep you waiting.”

Rey laughed, twining her arms around his neck and pressing her body against his. Even in the water, she was so warm, like a literal ray of sunshine, her touch igniting little fires all across his skin. So when she pressed her lips to his, it was all consuming, his body responding in kind to slip of her skin against him.

Rey’s legs wrapped around his waist, the intent of the movement clear as the water around them.

“Here?” he asked, pulling back from her heated kisses. 

Without his lips to entertain her, she kissed along his jawline. “Where better?”

Where better, indeed. He certainly didn’t need to be told twice, planting his feet on the rocky bottom of the pond before taking himself in hand and sliding home. 

And wasn’t that a dangerous thought. Somewhere, in the deep recesses of his mind, he knew this was temporary, that Rey wouldn’t be here forever, that she had a larger role in the galaxy, but it was easy to forget in moments like these, when the one word he’d had on the tip of his tongue since she’d come to him that second night pulsed with every thrust of his hips.

_ Stay _ .

At least his mouth was too occupied to say it out loud. 

He settled for telling her with his actions. The tangle of his tongue with hers. The strength of his arms as he held her close. The careful movement of his hips as the friction between them built.

For now, that would have to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the fluffy goodness! Thanks for reading and see you on Monday!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A healing moment brings Poe and Rey closer as the clock ticks down on their time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I offer you this last bit of fluff and smut before the angst on Wednesday.
> 
> If smut is not your thing, skip from "It was an effective distraction" to "Finally, they collapsed."

It wasn’t the easiest place they’d ever done this - the depth of the water made it nearly impossible to get any leverage or keep up a steady rhythm - but they had fun with it, laughing and talking and just enjoying the sensations even when they both knew it wasn’t going anywhere. So they called it quits when Rey’s lips started to turn blue, decamping for solid ground and the blanket he’d so helpfully packed.

While the sun dried their naked bodies, they feasted on koyo, Rey taking to the fruit like she had everything on Yavin 4 so far.

“What’s that?” she’d asked when he’d brought out the container of bright pink fruit, more than a little skeptical. 

He opened the lid. “What we’ve been trying to sell these past few days. Koyo.” Rey looked a little unsure as he held the container out for her. He’d never seen her pass up food, though she was obviously on the fence here. “Try it.”

She did, taking what had to be the galaxy’s tiniest bite before her eyes went wide and she shoved the whole piece into her mouth. Along with four more.

“This is good,” she said, adding another piece into her already full mouth. It was a miracle she could get the words out at all.

Poe smiled, leaning over to kiss some of the sugar-sweet juice from her lips. “I know.”

They gorged themselves on the fruit, Rey eventually flopping onto her back, stuffed. It was quiet for a moment, save the musical tinkle of the water behind them.

“This place really has it all, you know,” she said, eyes taking in the little copse around them. He followed her gaze past a break in the canopy and to the bright blue sky beyond. “Natural beauty, delicious food, more green than I’d ever dreamed of.” She turned to him, mischief in those eyes. “Extra friendly locals.”

Poe threw his head back in laughter, paying her back in kind by using those ticklish spots against her.

But as she writhed and laughed under his talented hands, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was trying to tell him something. Like maybe it wasn’t all in his imagination. Like maybe that word that continued to pulse in time with his heart wasn’t so off base.

_ Stay. _

Yet, he still couldn’t bring himself to say it. There was always something that held him back, one last shred of self preservation that stopped the word before it hit his tongue. There was no rush. She still hadn’t managed to get in touch with the Resistance. It would keep.

So they lazed and ate and sunned, the afternoon passing in a haze of good memories in the making. 

Before he knew it, it was late afternoon, Poe tracing abstract shapes on Rey’s exposed back, an invisible masterpiece on top of those harsh scars.

Poe shifted, not able to hide a wince when his shoulder gave a twinge. The cold water had stiffened it up, leaving him sore and achy.

“I could fix that, you know,” said Rey lightly, gesturing to the gnarl of scar tissue. When he didn’t say anything, she clarified, “Your shoulder. If you wanted.”

“What do you mean, fix it?” Almost reflexively, Poe rolled the aching muscle. It had never healed right after Kijimi, which hadn’t been a problem when he was younger. Though with each passing year he felt the effects of that sword a little more, the damage that had been done so long ago.

Sensing his interest, Rey sat up. “Heal it. With the Force.”

Now it was Poe’s turn to be skeptical. “Heal it with the force,” he repeated carefully, turning the idea over in his mind. It probably couldn’t hurt him any worse to try. Hells, what did he have to lose? Though the more he thought about it, the more those sounded like some famous last words. But when had that ever stopped him? So he answered, “Okay.”

Rey’s face brightened. “Really?”

“Yeah, let’s do this.” He hesitated. “How do you want me?”

“Sit up,” she said, then thinking better of it, “No, wait. Lay down.”

Poe narrowed his eyes at her as she rubbed her hands together. “You have done this before, right?”

“Of course,” she responded, waving him off. Though he still wasn’t convinced, especially when he could have sworn she mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, “In theory,” under her breath before she straddled his stomach. 

But by then, it was too late to object, Rey’s face screwed up in concentration as she probed her fingers along the scar. Finding what she was looking for, she closed her eyes, a look of blank serenity washing over her pretty features. 

From here, he couldn’t help but admire that dusting of freckles, teased out by the sun. Not to mention the subtle muscles of her arms and shoulders, the strength he knew was hidden in that slim form. With the shadows cast by the afternoon sun, she looked positively divine hovering over him, so much so that he didn’t notice what she was doing until he felt a strange tug on his shoulder.

It was warm, far warmer than it should have been in just the sun, the heat spreading from where Rey’s palm pressed against the scar. His skin tingled, almost as if it was changing, rearranging, knitting back together in the proper order it had never been allowed to the first time around. Above him, Rey’s face turned serious, sweat beading on her brow as she worked through something inside him he couldn’t see. There was a final pulse of that tingling power before her eyes popped open, Rey smiling as she pulled away her hand. 

Poe rolled his shoulder. Then rolled it again. And then a third time before he looked down, the band of ruined flesh that had plagued him for 16 years completely smooth, the skin an even, golden brown like the rest of him. 

“You fixed it,” he said, not bothering to keep the wonder and disbelief out of his voice. He’d seen a lot of things in his life, but this was a whole different level. “You actually healed me.”

Rey chuckled. “I know.”

“But how?”

She gave a little shrug. “Just a little something I picked up over the years,” she answered with a smile, the expression looking tired on her face. In fact, all of her looked tired, her skin sallow, eyes drooping, even that brilliant hazel dulled in the sunlight. 

“Rey, are you ok--” but he never got to finish his question, not when she took his lips with her own. 

It was an effective distraction, any and all thoughts promptly flying out of his head at the first brush of her lips, his focus wholly on the feeling of her all around him. She was already straddling him, and neither of them had bothered with clothes for hours now, so it was all too easy for her to take him in hand and guide him inside until she was fully seated on him. 

This had become an all too familiar view over the last few days, Rey on top of him taking her pleasure as she wished. Not that he was complaining. He was getting off, too. It was quite obvious that she liked to be in control, and Poe was all for that, but there was more to life than cowgirl.

So he sat up, capturing her mouth with his before wrapping both arms around her and flipping them onto her back. She smiled up at him, one palm scraping across his two-day growth. He may have put off shaving specifically for her. Looking down between her spread legs, he noticed the raised red stripes on those creamy thighs, courtesy of that beard. Well, she’d said she wanted to feel it. Mission accomplished.

Without further ado, he rearranged those long legs, marvelling at how flexible she was as he put her feet up by his shoulders. The things he could do with that… But he shook the thought from his head. Later. There’d be time for all that later. He had to focus on the now.

So with her ankles near his ears, he pushed back in, the slide so slick and tight from this angle that he was helpless against the groan that escaped his lips. Rey seemed in much the same boat, her eyes falling closed as she released a sharp breath in response to him bottoming out. 

And then he was pulling back, no hesitation as he pulsed into her over and over again. The sounds falling from Rey’s lips built, from sharp inhalations and soft sighs to pants and moans to outright growls. Sweat gathered on his brow as he continued to move inside her, always working to the same goal.

A brief pause brought her legs down from his shoulders, wrapping around his waist until her ankles locked.

Now this was better. Closer. More intimate. Somehow even tighter. 

Her hands reached for him, trying to drag him down, but he already knew the drill. Carefully, he grasped her wrists, pulling out and pausing for barely a breath before slamming back down to the hilt, the sound of Rey’s gasp when he pressed her wrists down to the ground letting him know that he was on the right track. But he wasn’t about to guess.

“Yes or no,” he managed to pant out, squeezing her wrists just enough for her to get the point.

A slow smile spread across her lips, and he knew his answer before they even formed the words. “Yes. Hells, yes.”

He didn’t waste any time after that, pressing into her once more while his lips found hers in the dying light of the sun. The whole clearing had taken on that golden hue, not that Poe had much brainspace to notice it. His thoughts had narrowed to the tension building low in his gut and the feel of Rey around him. If Rey’s ever growing pants and moans were any indication, she was close, though he recognized it would take a little more to get her over the edge.

So he released her wrists, rearranging himself in the space of a thrust so that one hand could dip between them, working that spot that always did the trick. Sure enough, her movements became jerky, her sounds breathy and involuntary a second before she reached up and used the chain around his neck to tug his lips down to hers.

When she came, it was with a shout muffled by his mouth, Poe taking it along with anything else she was willing to give him. It wasn’t long before he followed her over that edge, always a step behind and happy to be there. As long as it was with her. Another dangerous thought, but he was too tired and satisfied to fight it. 

Finally, they collapsed, both panting as their hearts slowed down. Once again, Rey found her way into his arms, her eyes barely able to stay open. Come to think of it, her chest was still heaving a little more than strictly necessary. Poe was no slouch in bed, but something told him it was less to do with his own prowess and more with whatever Rey had done to heal him earlier.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, one hand coming up to cup her cheek. She was cool to the touch. How the hells had he missed this? Or better question, how had she hidden it from him?

“Yeah. Just a little tired.” Rey’s smile was weak, dark circles having appeared under those usually bright eyes out of nowhere. “The healing comes at a price.”

His heart gave a squeeze in his chest. “Then why do it?”

Her eyes were fully closed now, the words barely a mumble. “Because you’re in pain.”

Truer words had rarely been spoken. And he was grateful, he truly was, but Poe wasn’t sure that even the Force could fix whatever was broken inside him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the sun sets on Rey's fourth day on Yavin. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and see you Wednesday!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Poe extends an invitation to Rey, he gets a whole lot more than he bargained for. Later, a visitor threatens to blow Poe's life apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the beginning of the angst. Hopefully Poe's motivations here are clear, though I will admit this chapter is a little hard on the Resistance and a couple of characters (from Poe's POV). Though as always, I promise this has a happy ending (and even a cute one-shot add on for damerey week!).
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

When Poe woke, the sun had nearly set. He was alone. Naked. A little cold. But as he sat up in a panic, it didn’t take long to realize where Rey had gone. 

All around him, that quiet power thrummed, filling the small clearing with that strange, electric peace. The tree.

He found the clothes he’d discarded hours ago in a neat little pile next to the pond, donning them with a brisk efficiency in the near dark. From there, it was easy enough to pack up their little impromptu picnic, Poe slinging the bag over his shoulder before walking toward the gentle glow just on the other side of the trees.

Soft, blue light filled the little clearing, Poe’s eyes barely having time to take in the tree from which it emanated before his eyes caught on the figure in front of it.

Rey sat cross-legged in front of the tree, her face slack in that way it had gotten when she was healing him. Like she was connecting to something much bigger than them all. Her hair, long since liberated from its buns, fell softly around her shoulders, gently flowing along with her borrowed dress in a wind of her own making. That power hummed, a steady pulse that Poe could feel in every inch of the clearing, coming up from the ground through the soles of his feet. Almost like the tree had been plugged in to an outlet. Electric. 

And as he looked, he realized that her face had returned to its normal youthful smoothness, no signs of that extreme exhaustion from earlier. Almost like she’d been charged up by the tree itself.

Oh yeah, and did he mention she was floating several feet off the ground? And glowing?

Her eyes popped open as soon as he thought it, unseeing for a second before she blinked them into focus. A smile crept across her face when she recognized him.

“You’re up,” she said, her voice normal despite everything.

Poe blinked. “You’re… floating.”

Rey’s laugh filled the small space. “Yeah that happens sometimes,” she answered, like it was just another thing. Yeah, sometimes I float. No big. 

At that, she unfolded her legs, setting her feet down as easily as if she had been sitting on a log. The glow had faded from her skin, and maybe that had just been his mind playing tricks on him. Or a trick of the light coming from the tree itself. It was all too easy to convince himself that there was nothing different about her, that he wasn’t playing with fire when it came to Rey.

He easily pushed all that aside when Rey stepped into his arms, warm and soft and everything good in the galaxy. It was always a little too easy to forget with her around. 

“I’m sure you’re dad’s wondering where we are,” she said, the words landing somewhere near his ear. He loved how tall she was, how evenly matched to him. Almost like they were made for each other.

_ Stay. _

The word had started to pulse with every beat of his heart again, though never more than when Rey pulled back, one hand coming up to push an errant curl from his forehead with that soft smile playing across her lips.

“What?” she asked at whatever look crossed his face. The smile never left her mouth.

Something held him back, some tiny bit of self preservation that kept him from saying what was truly on his mind. “You’re right. We should head back.”

Though she gave him a long look, she didn’t comment, letting him throw an arm around her shoulders and lead her back toward the farm.

For once the night was warm, no rain in sight as they made their way through the thick massassis, Rey’s arm wrapped behind his back and around his waist on the other side. Giving in to the temptation, he pressed a kiss to the side of her hair, the gesture somehow more intimate than what they’d been doing a couple hours ago.

She sighed, for once a happy sound, melting more fully into his side. That is, until something in the undergrowth caught her eye.

He heard the breath catch in her chest, the wonder on her face palpable without even needing to look. But he looked anyway, following her gaze to a clump of softly glowing flowers in blue and purple and pink.

“What? How?” she asked, her voice more breath than sound. Coming from the woman who had been glowing herself not even 10 minutes ago, it was fairly funny.

But Poe wasn’t in the laughing mood, instead walking over and plucking one of the flowers - an extra vibrant pink - from the ground and handing it to Rey. “Bioluminescent orchids. One of the few things we’re known for here.”

She accepted it with grace, eyes a little watery as she turned it over in her hand. “It’s beautiful.”

“I know.” But Poe wasn’t looking at the orchid at all.

Rey was still looking down at the softly glowing flower when they broke through the trees at the edge of the farm. She looked up, taking in their surroundings. She sighed, the sound no longer so happy. “Have I mentioned how much I love this planet?”

“Once or twice.” He laughed, bringing her close again. As much as he hated to admit it, Just Rey had grown on him. To the point that he finally said the words that had been coursing through him for two days now.

“Then stay.” 

The smile froze on Rey’s face, her eyes meeting his in the near dark. “Poe, you know I can’t. The Resistance…”

But Poe ignored all the warning signs, barreling ahead despite the way she’d gone stiff in her arms or how fake that smile looked.

“The Resistance will go on without you,” he said, grinning like a fool. “And It’s been three days with no word. Even you said you aren’t sure they know where you are or if you’re alive. So stay.”

Poe’s heart pounded in his ears while he watched that smile slide off her face. 

“I thought you understood what this was,” she said, the look of pity on her face heartbreaking.

“Understood what this was,” he repeated, his stomach dropping out on him. It dawned on him slowly, then all at once. Like the way a blasterbolt seemed to slow mid air. That is, until it hit you dead on the chest. 

He didn’t mean anything to her. It was plain as day on her face. He was nothing more than a couple night stand she would tell her friends about. That local she’d fucked when she was stuck in the Outer Rim. Poe could almost hear the laughter as they teased her about “going native” and “sampling the local cuisine.” 

Something must have changed in his expression because Rey immediately went on the defensive. “Come on, don’t look at me like that.” Tears sparkled in those wide hazel eyes. “We both knew that my days here were numbered.”

“Then say it to my face,” he snapped. He’d always had a temper. It was far past time Rey learned that. “Tell me what this was. I want to hear the words.”

“No,” she snapped, her voice shaking. “You don’t get to make me feel guilty about wanting to go back. About wanting to finish my mission.”

“If you’re not guilty, then say it,” he pushed, knowing he was being an ass, that he was lashing out at her for things beyond any of their control. Unfortunately, he’d always been this way. No point in stopping now.

But Rey was no slouch in the stubbornness department, her face setting into a defiant look he hadn’t seen since that first night. When he’d rescued her. “I have a duty to the Resistance, and I will honor that.”

“Say. It.”

Rey opened her mouth, ostensibly to do just that, when a gust of hot wind nearly blew them off their feet. Poe looked up, shielding his eyes from the dust and grass that flew into his face, the bright lights that shone directly on them. He could just make out a small transport ship directly overhead. It made its way to the clearing next to the barn, setting down a second later.

Something flashed in Rey’s eyes, lit as they were by the ship. Recognition. She knew that ship. In that instant, she came to some kind of a decision, turning back around to face him.

“Come with me,” she said, the ghost of a smile on her face. Behind her, he watched as the doors opened and the ramp came down. “Come with me and join the Resistance. You are an amazing pilot and you’re letting your talent rot here.”

But he couldn’t focus on her words, not when the first person off the ship bore a face he’d recognize anywhere.

Leia Organa.

Everything about the woman walking toward them was exactly the same as he remembered - the battle ready vest and jumpsuit, the iron grey hair pulled up into a fairly no-nonsense braid around her head, even the wary but cool expression on her face.

Next to him, Rey turned and nodded her head in greeting. “General.”

That icy exterior broke into a wide smile. “Rey. So glad we found you in one piece.” She paused, turning to Poe with a rare nervous look. “And Poe Dameron. It’s been a long time.”

Poe stared into the face of the woman who’d once offered him a different life, ignoring what was surely an open mouthed stare from Rey. “Not long enough.”

“Wait, you two know each other?” Rey looked from Leia to Poe and back again, confusion rumbling her brow. 

Both of Poe’s hands were balled into fists at his side. He flexed his fingers. “Oh, we go way back.”

_ He knew there’d be repercussions. You didn’t break off from your squad and go chasing after a possibly fictitious paramilitary group based off only a gut feeling without knowing that. But Poe hadn’t realized his would be the torture of sitting in a locked, windowless room with only his own (terrible) thoughts for company for going on four hours now. _

_ Everything was raw after Muran… died was too soft of a word for what happened to him. In the space of a breath, he had ceased to be. One minute Karé was screaming for him to pull up, the next he was nothing more than particles, space dust released back into the greater universe. Muran was his best friend. A man who by all accounts Poe loved. And now he was gone and Poe was defying direct orders. What a mess this had become. _

_ What a mess Poe had become. A walking open wound. A trophy display of bruises. He chuckled to himself. Those were lyrics from a band he hadn’t listened to in 15 years, but sitting here stewing in the mess he had created, they felt just as relevant as when he used to belt them out in his bedroom at 14. And apparently, no one believed that he was getting any better. Poe tapped his fingers against the metal table in time with the song in his head. _

_ Finally, finally, finally, the door to his little cell swung open. He expected to see his ass of a commanding officer, so it was no surprise to see Deso’s ugly mug walk through the door. But when Leia fucking Organa appeared a step behind him, Poe took a double take. _

_ He didn’t know her personally, but his mom had flown with Leia during Operation Cinder. Her husband had led Poe’s father on Endor. Their families were intertwined. _

_ Without a word, they sat across from him, like something out of a holoshow. Though, who was the good cop and who was the bad cop in this scenario was anybody’s guess. _

_ Deso started them off. “Poe. You defied a direct order and engaged with an unknown enemy combatant in deep space.” _

_ Poe scoffed. Loudly. They knew exactly whom he had engaged with. _

_ Leia smirked. Deso fixed him with a look, but went on. “The way I see it, you have two options. But General Organa,” he said her title in a way that told Poe he didn’t put much stock in it, “thinks you deserve a third one.” _

_ Taking that as her cue, Leia leaned forward. “I’d like to offer you a spot in the Resistance.” _

_ “The Resistance?” Poe had heard of it of course, though more in mocking tones than anything else. Crazy Organa was at it again. Seeing fascists where there were none. Though his opinion on that had obviously changed over the past few weeks. “I didn’t realize that was a serious thing.” _

_ “Not many people do,” she said, a wry smile on her face. “I like to think that’s what makes us so dangerous.” _

_ Poe chuckled in spite of himself. All his mom’s stories appeared to be true. This woman was something else. He liked her. _

_ But never more than when she continued, “And we could really use a pilot of your caliber on our team.” _

_ Immediately, Poe’s mind filled with visions of leading a new squadron, rooting out the First Order without the constraints of New Republic bureaucracy. He wanted to join. No, he needed to join. He couldn’t sit idly by for one more second and wait for the First Order to make their big move. This had to end now. _

_ “So how do I sign up?” _

_ “I think you just did.” Leia’s smile went wide. “I’d like you to put together a team. I have a very important mission for you.” _

_ Immediately, he thought of three people he could convince to come along. Three people who had been there, seen what happened first hand.  _

_ Poe leaned forward, dropping his voice. He was acutely aware of Deso’s continued presence in the room. “We’re gonna go to the Unknown Regions? Get ‘em where they live?” _

_ Her face fell into something a little more cautious. “Not exactly.” _

_ “Then what?  _

_ Leia’s eyes darted to Deso, weighing the risk versus reward for sharing that info before she answered, “We’re going to find Luke Skywalker.” _

_ Poe sat in stunned silence for a second. He had a bad feeling about this. “Your brother. You want me to find your brother? Not fight the First Order.” _

_ “It’s a cold war, Poe. Not everything can be solved by jumping in an X-wing and blowing stuff up. This is fighting the First Order.” _

_ “A cold war?” Poe laughed, a bitter, empty sound. “Tell that to my dead...” he paused, trying to think of what to call Muran. Lover? Squadron member? He settled on, “best friend.” _

_ “I’m sorry for your loss, Poe, I really am, but Luke is the missing piece. If we can get to Luke before they do, bring him on our side, we can win this war. And there’s a girl we found, strong with the Force, but she needs training...” _

_ Poe could not give a shit about some foundling, and he made that known really fast. “I don’t care about some girl, Force sensitive or not. I care about defeating the First Order.” _

_ “Luke defeated the last empire, and he will do the same with this one.” _

_ His heart sank. Here, he thought he’d been offered a life line. A way to make a difference against the people who had taken Muran from him. But Leia was just as crazy as they claimed. Luke Skywalker. She wanted him to find Luke Skywalker. He was the best pilot in a generation and she’d have him on a wild goose chase through the galaxy to find her wayward brother. She was just as bad as the New Republic. _

_ “No,” he said, very carefully. “You and Han and my dad and my mom defeated the Empire. The people on the ground and in the sky at Endor defeated the Empire. Luke had a conversation with his dad and showed up for the afterparty.” That was oversimplifying and they both knew it, but Poe was all about bad decisions these days. What was one more? _

_ “Poe…” _

_ He ignored the plea in her voice, turning to Deso. “What are the other options?” _

_ But Leia wasn’t ready to let him go that easily. “Poe, I really think you should consider--” _

_ “Deso, my options,” he cut right over her, not wanting to hear any more excuses.  _

_ His commanding officer looked nervously between Poe and Leia, the two now steadily glaring at each other. Deso cleared his throat. “Well, option one is to stay in the service and face court martial for your actions.” _

_ “And option two?” _

_ “An honorable discharge right here and now,” he said, the words sounding a little too good to be true. Poe waited for the other shoe to drop. It didn’t take long. He slid a datapad over to Poe. “So long as you sign this document stating that what happened here was a freak encounter with rogue pirates.” _

Later, he’d blame the grief and the trauma and the temper he’d inherited from Kes for how quickly he grabbed the stylus and signed his name, no thought of how it would erase Muran’s sacrifice or help the New Republic cover up what had happened there. But in the moment, all he could think was that he couldn’t spend another second with either of the two other people in that room.

It had been three years, and still the guilt never left him. 

“Okaaaay.” Rey’s sceptical voice broke through the memory, bringing him back to the present moment and the conversation at hand. “But how did you find me? I never made contact.”

“That would be my doing.” Kes stepped into their little circle, his arms crossed and expression set. “It seemed like Rey was having troubles with her codes, so I used my own.” Like everything these past few days, his words were loaded with some hidden meaning, never to be understood by Poe.

Though for some reason, Rey’s cheeks pinked at that, her expression turning guilty.

But Poe barely even registered that, not when in the next moment Leia said, “And I appreciate it, Fulcrum. I don’t know what we’d do without her.”

Fulcrum? But wasn’t that…

So many pieces fell into place. The unexplained absences. The weird, coded conversations. Even that strange room under the house. It was all because his dad was working for Leia.

A spy. His dad was a spy for the Resistance. 

Yesterday, he’d mumbled about “fulcra.” Poe thought he was talking about the Core. But it was literally Fulcrum. His dad was Fulcrum.

And this seemed to be a surprise only to Poe.

In fact, the revelation didn’t even seem to register with Rey, not when the next question out of her mouth was, “But then how do you know Poe?”

Leia chuckled. “Oh, as the young Mr. Dameron said, he and I go way back. In fact, the last time we spoke, it was when Poe not-so-graciously turned down my offer to join the Resistance.”

The look of betrayal on Rey’s face was unmistakable. 

“You… said no?” Out of habit, Poe reached for her, but Rey quickly stepped out of range. He let his hand drop. “You were approached by the Resistance, and you refused to fight?”

Poe glared at Leia. How was it that this woman always seemed to compound his problems. “It was a little more complicated than that.”

“Complicated? How is this complicated? You lied to me.” Rey was looking at him like she barely even recognized him. “You’re either against the First Order or you’re complicit.”

“Rey…” Leia’s voice held a warning tone.

But Rey wasn’t having it. “No, this is the one time where absolutes are appropriate, Master. There’s no in-between.”

She was right and they all knew it. Hells, three days ago Poe had practically shouted the same thing at his father. 

Just across from him, Rey took a deep breath, letting her eyes fall closed, a calm fall over her face. When she opened them again, there was none of that anger, just a plea in those hazel eyes. “But there’s still time to make it right.” She extended a hand to him. “Join us. Join the Resistance. Help us bring down the First Order.”

But faced once again with the choice to do something about it, he found himself hardening, growing stubborn in the face of all that righteousness. Only this time, the grief and trauma was far enough removed that he could only blame his temper for the next words out of his mouth.

“Is your primary goal still to find Luke Skywalker?” The question was directed at Leia, Poe trying his damnedest to ignore the look on Rey’s face. 

“This is still a cold war. We don’t have the manpower--”

He cut her off. “That’s not what I asked. Is your primary goal still to find your brother?”

Leia sighed, her face falling into something he instantly recognized. Disappointment. “Yes, the objective is still to find Luke.”

Some things never changed. Like the ineffectuality of both the New Republic and the Resistance. And there was no way he was about to contribute to it.

“Then my answer is still the same.”

He didn’t need to look at Rey to know the way his words hit her like a blow to the face. There would be disgust on that pretty face, and disappointment to match her master’s. And probably his father’s. Join the club.

He turned, intent on heading back to the house, when Rey’s voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Poe.”

His heart threatened to beat out of his chest as he turned to face her, the look on her face even worse than he was imagining. He could have taken her anger. Her disgust. Maybe even her hatred. It all would have been deserved. But the torn look on her face was too much to bear. 

“Please. Don’t do this. You can make a difference.” She was begging him, against her better judgement, despite her own clearly stated principles. He’d done that to her. And it broke his heart. “Together, we can make a difference.”

He knew what she was offering him. A second chance. An opportunity to right the wrongs he’d committed when he’d signed that document. To bring Muran’s sacrifice and the First Order’s involvement out of the dark and into the light.

Too bad he was too far gone to accept it.

“No.”

It was a simple word. Two letters. It shouldn’t have had the power to ruin his life. Twice.

But he watched in real time as Rey’s face hardened, the understanding that had been there disappearing in the blink of an eye. She didn’t even dignify that with a response, simply turning on her heel and making for the ship without so much as a look back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *immediately runs and hides*
> 
> Dare I ask what you thought?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kes and Poe have an honest conversation where Poe must decide his next steps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Dameron men actually communicating?! What miracle is this? Kidding aside we have a very talky chapter ahead of all the action. So buckle up and let's watch these two lay it all out on the table.
> 
> Happy reading!

Poe wasn’t about to stand around and watch her leave him. 

He turned from the ugly scene unfolding and made for the barn in the distance. He had no clue what time it was, just that it wasn’t too late for Gully’s. 

“Poe!” he heard his father’s voice shout after him, but like everything else going on, he ignored it. 

Wrenching open the door to the barn, he found the speeder exactly where he’d left it. Yet now, this place wasn’t filled not with the stench of fresh manure or the sweet smell of ripe koyo, but with memories of her. The stubborn look on her face when she’d refused to give him her name. The awe and wonder as she looked at the hidden A-wing. That soft smirk when she suggested they share the shower. To save water, of course.

Poe pushed it all down and got into the speeder. Cranked the engine. If he couldn’t deal with his problems, he’d sure as hells leave them in the dust.

But something stopped him from hitting the throttle, moving forward. A strange feeling went up his spine. The knowledge of a mistake in the making.

Then he was running. 

Through the barn, across the farm, to the empty patch of grass where there had been a ship not even five minutes ago and the single, crumpled flower left to die on the ground. He picked it up, turning it over in his hand. The orchid barely even glowed now, head crushed in her apparent anger. The anger that had been directed toward him. And well deserved.

“She’s long gone, son.” 

Poe turned to find his father watching him. He was kind enough not to say “I told you so.” At least, not out loud.

“They’ll probably lay low for a few days, keep off the regular channels until they're sure the First Order isn’t following, but I can make the call. Say you changed your mind.”

But had he changed his mind? His feelings about the Resistance still remained. They weren’t doing anything to help. The only thing that had changed were his feelings for Rey. But the look on her face when he’d refused to join her played over and over again in his mind. There was no way she’d want him now. He’d ruined whatever chance he’d had with her.

When would he learn? Apparently, never. So he fell back on his old standard, and ignored the help he was being offered.

“So Fulcrum, eh?” he said, hating how bitter his voice sounded. “Funny you never mentioned that.”

“You never asked,” Kes answered in that hyper-calm, infuriating way he had. 

“And you would have told me if I had?”

Kes let out a huffed laugh. “Good question.” Funny how he didn’t answer it, though.

“How long?”

“How long, what?” Answer a question with a question. Excellent stalling tactic.

“How long were you Resistance?” asked Poe. “How long did you know who Rey was? How long did it take for you to call Leia?”

Kes sighed, resignation splashed across all of his features. For the first time in as long as Poe could remember, he looked old. “Come inside, we can talk about it over a cup of something hot.”

Yet another stalling tactic. Poe knew them all by heart now. They’d been playing this game for 20-some years now, and Poe was just about done.

“No. We talk about this here and now.” His stance widened as he crossed his arms over his chest.

For a second, it looked like Kes had seen a ghost, and Poe thought he wouldn’t answer before a sad smile spread across the older man’s face. “Gods, you are just like her. You know that? A spitting image.”

Poe wasn’t sure what to do with that statement. Was it another distraction? Something genuine? Either way, Poe decided he couldn’t take the chance on missing out on another piece of his mother. 

“How so?”

“Never won an argument with her either.” The smile turned wry. “Too smart for me. Same as you. And gods, when it was something she truly believed in, you didn’t stand a chance.

“It’s how I always knew we’d win the war. There was no universe in which Shara Bey would lose the galaxy’s biggest argument.”

Poe huffed out a laugh in spite of himself. It wasn’t the woman he remembered, but it did track. He got that attitude from somewhere, and as much as he favored his father, it sure as hells wasn’t Kes.

“Since the beginning.” Kes’s words came out of nowhere. “I’ve been with the Resistance since the very beginning. I was the fifth person Leia recruited.”

Poe blinked, trying to absorb that information.

“Our business provided me a unique opportunity. I could gain passage to anywhere in the galaxy under the guise of selling melons. Which became essential as the First Order slowly crept into the hyperlanes.

“I moved information, people, weapons. A bit of smuggler, if you could believe that.” When Poe didn’t show the wanted reaction, Kes cleared his throat and went on. “That’s when the Yissira Zyde happened.”

Even just hearing the name threatened to crack open Poe’s chest. Especially so soon after everything with Rey and Leia.

“When I heard it was you who got caught in the crossfire, your squadron that lost a man, I damn near lost my mind. Almost blew every cover I had trying to get to Mirrin. Leia talked me down. 

“It was almost a relief, if I’m being honest. You were safe, and I thought for sure you’d be first in line to join up. But you are so much like your mother, that I forgot how much of me you have in you. That uncanny ability to do the exact opposite of what’s expected of you.” Kes’s smile turned impossibly fond. “You and me? We zig when we’re supposed to zag. It’s the Dameron way.”

Poe’s laugh was more of a snort, but it seemed to encourage Kes to go on.

“So you said no, and came home a different man. And I had to pretend I had no clue why.”

For the first time since Kes had started talking, Poe felt the need to speak. “You didn’t have to pretend. You chose to lie to me.”

“Fulcrum was need to know. Especially once the First Order started policing the trade routes.” His father’s face turned serious, almost grave. “I don’t know how much you remember about those early days, but you were in no shape to receive classified information.”

Poe did remember those days… though barely. 

It was like a bad dream; days, maybe weeks, spent in bed, watching the shadows creep across his white ceiling. Kes’s worried face when he popped in to check on him, always hovering nearby. Eventually Kes coaxed him out of bed and into the fields, the diagnosis being that sun and exercise would help. Then came the nights at Gully’s. 

They started innocently enough, Kes taking him for a drink after a long day spent working the harvest. It became a pattern, easy to fall into and nearly impossible to break. He felt most like the old Poe Dameron after a few drinks, charming and funny and confident. And the regulars welcomed him with open arms. So it went for a time, rough mornings in the fields, sleep it off in the afternoon, evening at Gully’s. Rinse and repeat.

And if he felt two inches away from death at any given point thanks to the near constant hangover? Well, good. It matched the snarl that was his mind, the empty ache in his chest. Though soon enough, the drinks started to leave him less than charming, the regulars not quite as happy to see him. 

More than one night ended with a black eye and a trip to the drunk tank, Kes’s stifling disappointment. Poe’s own self-hatred. A long, hard look in the mirror had shown a man Poe didn’t even recognize. Lined. Hollow. Defeated.

So he’d mostly cleaned up his act. Kept the nights at Gully’s and the drinks to a minimum. Spent his days in the fields or at the farmers market. Stayed out of trouble. That is, until the night Rey fell into his life. Though he would never feel guilty about roughing up some stormtroopers in defense of an old lady. Ever.

Looking up at the expression on Kes’s face, Poe realized he’d been quiet for far too long. “Yeah, I can see that.”

Kes nodded, a quiet falling over the two men. Unlike most of their silences, this one was comfortable, the silence of two people on the same page for once.

As if realizing the momentousness of the occasion, thunder rumbled in the distance, always an ominous sign in the rainy season.

“Come on, we can finish this conversation inside,” said Kes, dropping a hand on Poe’s shoulder. “I’ve got some Taurine tea just begging to be brewed.”

So Poe let Kes lead him back into the house and to the kitchen table, his father busying himself with the tea. Eventually, a steaming mug appeared in front of him, Poe taking a long draft of scalding liquid. He wasn’t much of a fan, but the stuff was arguably better for him than his original plan for the evening. 

“So, what else you got?” said Kes after a spell, his face wide open for once in Poe’s life. It was the first time in memory that they were sitting down to have an honest conversation, and he wasn’t about to pass up that opportunity.

“Did you recognize her?” asked Poe, not pulling any of his punches. “When she showed up here, did you know who she was?”

“Not at first,” Kes answered delicately. Like he was choosing his words very carefully. “I didn’t put two and two together that she was Leia’s apprentice until that business with the stormtroopers. When you told me about the mind trick.”

That seemed to track. So Poe went on. “And that’s when you decided to sell her out to Leia.”

“Sell her out? That’s not-”

But Poe wasn’t looking for excuses. Not anymore. “That’s exactly what happened. She was fine here, safe as she waited out the First Order. But you couldn’t leave well enough alone. You always think you know better.”

Poe jumped when his father slammed a fist down on the table to stop his monologue. “She has a job to do, godsdamnit!” Kes’s face was twisted with a rage Poe hadn’t seen since he was 16. Poe watched as the older man took one breath and then another before going on. “She has a mission to complete, and you were keeping her from that mission. I had no other choice.”

“Another day wouldn’t have made a difference.”

“Would it have only been another day? It had been three so far, and she’d made no effort to get off this rock. You ever wonder why she was having trouble contacting the Resistance? It’s because she didn’t even try, Poe. She was too busy flirting with you.”

He didn’t want to believe it. Rey had told him that her codes weren’t working, that she couldn’t get in touch with the Resistance. Why would she lie to him?

“I asked you to leave her be. I told you she had a bigger purpose, that there were plans in motion, but you didn’t listen. So I had to take matters into my own hands.” He paused, his dark eyes meeting Poe’s across the table. “And I’d do it again.”

It hurt more than he imagined to hear those words out of his father’s mouth. That old feeling of loss and helplessness threatening to drag him under again.

“You really care so little about my feelings?” he snapped, an open wound. 

But Kes wasn’t about to answer that. “Can I ask you a real question? No sarcasm, no snark, just curiosity?”

Poe nodded.

“What did you think was going to happen here? How did you legitimately think this was going to end?”

That was the question of the day, wasn’t it? Poe had told himself he knew what he was getting into. That there was no world in which Rey did anything but leave. But that final conversation was burned into his brain.

“I asked her to stay,” he said, so quietly he wasn’t even sure Kes heard him.

But the look of pity on his father’s face was enough to know that his words had been heard loud and clear. “And how did she respond to that offer?”

“I think you know exactly what she said.” Poe leveled him with a glare.

“Listen, I don’t enjoy pointing this out.”

“Really? Because you really seem to be getting a kick out of rubbing salt in my wounds.”

They sat in silence for a full minute, Poe thinking that the conversation was finally over when Kes’s voice broke through.

“We both know there’s an easy solution. Where you get to be with Rey and she can continue her mission.”

And there it was. Poe had been waiting for the sales pitch. Took a little longer than he’d been expecting. Showed restraint. He supposed that just meant Kes was really good at his job.

He shook his head. “That’s not an option for me.”

“Why? No, please do tell. Tell me your grand reason for turning down the one organization trying to fight the group you hate the most not once but twice.”

“They’re just as bad as the New Republic!” he nearly shouted, finally reaching his breaking point. “It’s been three years since the Yissira Zyde and they’ve done shit except try and bring Leia’s brother back! Where were they when the First Order was creeping into the colonies or blocking hyperlanes? They aren’t doing nearly enough and we all know it!”

“So you just give up? That’s the answer?” Kes shook his head. Gods, their gestures were so similar sometimes it was like looking into a mirror. “I don’t know what you think, but rebellion isn’t all flashy piloting and blowing shit up. Sometimes it’s boring paperwork and waiting around and planning. Sometimes it’s spending two kriffing weeks trying to bore out a hallway through pure ice to make a base, and it sucks, but you do it. Sometimes it’s compromising your ideals and doing what you’re told to defeat literal fascists. And if you’re lucky all that shit leads to something and you get to defeat an empire.

“But you don’t get to defeat an empire if you don’t even try.”

Poe blinked at the fervor on his father’s face, the fire in his eyes. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen him this riled up over something, even when everything went down with Zorii and the spice runners. 

Without warning, Kes got to his feet. “You don’t have to answer right this minute. Take some time, really think about it. I have the coordinates to the base when you’re ready.”

And with those final words, he left Poe to his thoughts and his rapidly cooling tea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up is the start of the action that takes us all the way through to the end of this beast. It's gonna be a ride, so I hope you stick around. On that note, I'm off to poll worker training for the upcoming election, so leave me a comment to come back to. See you Wednesday!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A major move by the First Order makes Poe's decision for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the action! This will take us through to the ending, so get ready folks.

It was three days later when that answer came blaring across the skies.

After that late night conversation, Poe and Kes had fallen right back into their old routines. The ones that had gotten them through everything else life had thrown at them. Up early to work in the fields. Afternoons spent tinkering in the barn or manning the booth at the market. All capped off by a quiet dinner at home. And never, ever saying what was on their minds.

It was reassuring, the routine, the pattern. It helped to calm Poe’s mind. Over and over he was assaulted by that look Rey gave him, the naked hope on her face when she asked - no, begged - him to come with her. When she’d offered him the second chance he should have been looking for all along to make things right, to fight against the very thing that had destroyed his life so many years ago. To right the wrong he’d committed when he’d agreed to let Muran’s legacy go quietly into that good night. 

And then there was the moment when she realized he wasn’t coming. The dashed hope. The disgust. The disappointment as she learned who he really was. What he stood for. That look would never leave his memory as long as he lived.

But the routine helped keep those memories at bay, and he was thankful for it. Too bad it did nothing for the ache in his chest.

On that third day after Rey’s abrupt departure, Kes had some business in town - yet another thing they wouldn’t be discussing - and so he accompanied Poe to the booth at the farmers market. 

He helped Poe set up, staying long enough to order him to, “Keep your head down,” before scampering off to do gods knew what for his friends in the Resistance.

His father was in the Resistance. He still couldn’t wrap his head around it. All this time, Kes had been a member of the Resistance. A charter member, according to dear old dad. And not just a charter member of the Resistance, but Fulcrum himself. 

Poe had heard the stories of Fulcrum. Hells, everyone with even a passing interest in their history had heard the stories about Fulcrum. A former Jedi. An Imperial defector. The man who helped lead the mission to steal the Death Star plans. The men and women who had inhabited the roll of Fulcrum were the type of people who history remembered. Hells, they were the type of people who wrote the history. Who changed the galaxy. Who won the war. 

And Kes Dameron was one of them.

But Poe couldn’t dwell on that fact, not when his first customer of the day approached the stand.

This whole thing had lost any appeal the second Rey left, not that it had all that much to begin with. Long, hot days, coupled with the monotony of the stand left Poe nearly braindead, all higher functions put into hibernation. It was all he could do to remember to flirt with Talia, and even though he went through the motions, it was quite obvious to all parties involved that his heart wasn’t in it.

It honestly could have been minutes or hours before Kes returned from whatever business he had in town, the heat and boredom messing with the passage of time. Or at least Poe’s perception of it.

“Get everything you need?” he asked, not expecting much of an answer, if any.

Kes gave him a long look. “Yeah. All set.” Then, leaning back in his chair, “Griffus sends his regards.” Poe’s head shot up. So he was talking to Griffus again. “Says he misses your ugly mug.”

Poe laughed in spite of himself. “Oh, I’ll be back. Never fear.”

Kes shook his head, a small smile on his face as he rolled his eyes at his son. That is, until he caught sight of the pair of troopers at the edge of the market.

In the three days since Rey’s extraction, the stormtrooper presence on the planet had noticeably waned. Whether that had to do with Rey leaving the planet or some outside force was anybody’s guess, and if Kes knew anything, he wasn’t sharing. All Poe knew was that they were back down to their usual crew, Dick and Dickless leading the parade down the center aisle, the rest of their little squad in tow.

But their song and dance were old now, their barks of, “Let’s see a permit,” met only with stony faces and actual permits. Which did nothing but infuriate them.

By the time they made it to the Dameron Family Farm stand, all parties were spoiling for a fight. 

“Permit and registration,” barked Dickless. Poe was more than a little amused to find that he still hadn’t been able to get the scuff off the plastoid. It didn’t matter that Poe’s own shiner was on full display. He just liked to know he’d made his mark.

Kes shot him a look that told Poe to let him handle this. “Good afternoon, gentleman.” He rummaged through Poe’s apron pocket. “Here you go. Everything is in order.”

“We’ll be the judge of that,” snapped Dick, snatching the documents out of Kes’s hand. Under the table, Poe flexed his hands.

They all knew that their documentation was flawless, but Dick obviously was in the mood to let them sweat it out, going over and over the information to the point of absurdity and fulfilling the prophecy of his nickname. Though with each passing moment, Poe’s temper rose a little more.

Dickless seemed to have a sixth sense about it, watching him carefully as the minutes passed.

Finally, when there wasn’t one possible further detail that Dick could confirm, he handed back the permits. “We’re all good here.”

“Thank you,” answered Kes, all too pleasant as he accepted the documents and shuffled them away.

How did he do it? How did they all do it, putting on that happy face while the First Order slowly consumed the galaxy? It was a trick he’d never managed to master, the one lesson he’d never learned in his years of service. Because if there was one thing Poe knew, it was that beneath that shallow, fake smile on Kes’s face, anger and clarity of purpose simmered just below the surface. Watching. Waiting.

Poe was just a little more upfront about it.

While Dick had moved on to the next stand, Dickless lingered, almost as if he could sense all that fury ready to explode. Poe looked up at him defiantly. He would not be intimidated by a punk in a mask.

Dickless turned to Kes. “Glad to see you’ve finally got your dog leashed.”

Poe was on his feet in an instant. “What did you just say to me?”

“I said,” he answered, the vocoder doing nothing to strip the hatred from his voice, “that I was glad to see you’re finally being leashed. And then I insulted your sentience.”

Shouts rang out on both sides as Poe surged forward, Kes barely grabbing him before he was in swinging range. Instantly, Dickless’s squad mates appeared out of thin air, eager to join the fray. So it would be six against one this time. Poe pulled against Kes’s grip, just itching to get his hands dirty, but his father held on.

Kes was stronger than he looked.

It seemed their little standoff had drawn the attention of the rest of the market. Poe watched as the people of Yavin 4 took note, several rising to their feet. Then several more. Talia, over by the bakery, took a step forward. Old Lina at the flower stand stood. The guys who ran the butcher shop crossed their arms in tandem, never once looking down. Citizens of every walk of life, ready and willing to stand up to the First Order. For him. That’s when it dawned on him. 

Even with the whole squadron of troopers, there were more of the good guys than there were of them. There would always be more of the good guys.

“We order you to return to your business,” instructed Dick, looking around at the rapidly growing crowd. More joined every second. There was only a hint of panic in his voice. He gripped his blaster a little harder. “Or we will be forced to take further action.”

When nobody listened, he repeated, “We order you to desist immediately. By authority of the First Order.”

But the townspeople didn’t desist. In fact, they continued to close in on them, their words bolstering Poe more than he cared to admit.

“We don’t answer to the First Order.”

“What authority? I don’t see any authority here.”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t be more comfortable off-planet?”

Fingers inched closer to triggers, Kes trying to calm both sides as blasters were raised.

“Whoa, whoa, let’s take a minute here,” he said, looking from his unarmed neighbors to the heavy blaster rifles of the members of the First Order military. “Think this through. We can all walk away right now, no harm, no foul.”

Too bad nobody was listening to him.

Time slowed down as those fingers rested on the triggers, each millisecond lasting an eternity. Poe knew how little effort it took to pull them. It was the first lesson at the blaster range. Don’t put your finger on the trigger unless you’re planning to shoot. Poe’s heart hammered in his chest, just waiting for them to open fire into the crowd. 

That’s when every viewscreen, holoprojector, and standard issue droid jumped to life, a vaguely familiar voice echoing through the marketplace.

_ “Today is the end of the Republic!” _

Everyone froze, heads turning to find the closest broadcast. Even the troopers lowered their weapons in surprise. Suddenly they were surrounded by a pasty red-head in a general’s regalia, his audience a sea of white plastoid. Banners hung proudly behind him, some obnoxious knock off the Empire’s emblem. 

Great, they weren’t even clever.

_ “The end of a regime that acquiesces to this order!” _

Well, he seemed all hot and bothered about something. Rather than watch the pasty general spit at his followers, Poe turned to Kes. The look on his father’s face left his heart somewhere below his stomach. Suddenly, Poe didn’t feel much like joking.

“Dad, who the hell is that?” 

_ “At this very moment…” _

Kes turned that look of abject horror to Poe. “General Hux.”

_ “...In a system far from here…” _

Hux? Never heard of the guy.

_ “... _ _ The New Republic lies to the galaxy while secretly supporting the treachery of the loathsome Resistance.” _

Something tickled at the back of Poe’s mind. A detail just out of reach.

_ “This fierce machine which you have built…”  _

Weird. That name. Why did it sound familiar?

_ “...upon which we stand, will bring an end to the Senate!” _

It hit Poe like a ton of bricks.

Rey. Jungle. Stormtroopers. Hux’s pet project. Light show. Datastick. Mud. Shower.

Hux. Pet project. Light show.

Hux.

_ “To their cherished fleet! All remaining systems will BOW to the FIRST ORDER!! And will remember this... AS THE LAST DAY OF THE REPUBLIC!!!” _

“We need to go,” said Kes, seeing the look of realization on Poe’s face. Nevermind how he knew that Poe knew.

Just then, a trio of red beams appeared out of nowhere, cutting through the sky and splitting once, twice, until the heavens glowed.

“Now!” insisted Kes, dragging him away from the horror in the clouds and back to the speeder. 

They were on the road to the farm, Kes pushing the speeder far faster than it should have been capable of, when those beams found their targets. By some miracle (or maybe it was a nightmare), they watched as something overhead exploded into space dust.

It shouldn’t have been possible. His eyes must have been deceiving him. No way a weapon could travel like that. It was impossible.

Screams erupted in the square.

Kes pushed the speeder faster.

“Did they just blow up a planet? Dad, what the fuck just happened?” Then it hit him. “Where are the Resistance stationed?”

Rey.

But Kes wasn’t listening. Or at least, he wasn’t answering Poe’s questions. “We have to get back. Let Leia know what we just saw.”

If Leia was still alive. But Poe couldn’t deal with that particular thought at the moment. Not when it would mean…

No. He wouldn’t jump to conclusions until he had more information. So he leaned back on an old favorite. Humor. “Uh, Dad? I’m pretty sure the whole galaxy just saw that.” He talked a big game, but his hands hadn’t stopped shaking since those beams took to the sky. 

Thankfully, he was saved from Kes’s take on his poor attempt at a joke when they pulled up to the barn, his dad immediately cutting the engine and taking off to the far corner, the one dominated by old pieces of scrap metal and discarded farm equipment. The one apparently containing a hidden long-range comm.

Right. Spy. Poe would do well to remember that.

He watched in silence as Kes did his thing, fiddling here and there before the machine burst to life.

A cacophony of voices rang out, echoing off the wooden walls of the barn in varying degrees of panic as Kes listened to each frequency for a second before moving on to the next.

“What the hells was that?!”

“We’re getting reports of several direct hits.”

“This shouldn’t be possible! That technology hasn’t even been developed yet.”

“...seen all over the galaxy.”

“We’ve lost all contact with Hosnian Prime.”

Kes’s hand stilled on the dials. Waiting. Listening.

Hosnian Prime was the core of The Core, the capital of the New Republic. He had friends there, people he served with. But he couldn’t let himself feel that grief, not yet, not when a single name pounded with every beat of his heart. Rey.

“Dad, where is the Resistance base located?” asked Poe, fighting for calm with every word. The Resistance was closely tied with the New Republic, everyone knew that. It was the worst kept secret in the galaxy. So it wouldn’t surprise him one bit if they were hiding in plain sight. Say, someplace like Hosnian Prime.

But Kes was still ignoring him.

“Awaiting visual confirmation,” came that same voice, one of the more calm ones. Cool. Female. “Squadron dropping out of hyperspace, now.”

“Dad?”

Kes put up his hand. “Shh, shh, quiet.”

Seconds ticked by, long as hours, the slight crackle of the deep space subroutines and the steady breaths of the woman on the line the only signs that they were still connected. 

“We have visual confirmation. I repeat, we have visual confirmation. The Hosnian System has been destroyed.”

The words hit Poe with the force of a freighter. Though maybe a blaster was a more apt comparison. One not set to stun. He looked up at his father, finding his own horror mirrored back at him.

Neither of them breathed as the now-familiar voice of Leia Organa crackled over the comms. “Return to base immediately. We’re going after the weapon.”

That seemed to spur Kes into action. 

He pushed past a still-stunned Poe, crossing the barn with renewed purpose. Poe blinked, still struggling to let the words sink in. The Hosnian System was gone. The First Order had destroyed an entire system. And not just any system but the center of their government. 

Only one thought brought him comfort. If Leia was alive, that meant the Resistance hadn’t been decimated. It meant Rey was safe.

And he intended to keep it that way.

“I need to go, if they’re standing against the First Order I need to be there,” he said, following on his dad’s heels. “I need to go join the Resistance.”

Kes stopped dead in his tracks, turning to face his son. There was a smile on his face. He put a hand on Poe’s shoulder. “Finally, we’re on the same page.”

Poe smiled back at him, something in his chest soaring for the first time in recent memory. Pride. Purpose. Meaning. 

Of course, real life came crashing back in.

“But how? I can’t just hop on a transport and ask to be dropped at the Resistance Base. And we don’t have anything here that can get us off the planet.” He looked at the beat up old speeder. No way that was getting him out of the atmosphere.

Yet Kes was still staring at him, now with a shit-eating grin. Without a word, he finished walking to the other side of the barn and grabbed on to the tarp there. The tarp that Poe had completely forgotten about. The tarp Poe chose not to think about. The tarp that covered an RZ-1 A-wing in mint condition.

“Good thing we have this lying around,” said Kes, tugging that tarp and letting it fall to the ground. “Welcome to the fight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready to join the fray? 
> 
> Thanks for reading and see you on Monday!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe learns some startling news when he arrives on base.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to level with you, this is a very transitional chapter. I needed to get a bunch of stuff out of the way to get to the main action, so I hope you'll stick with me. Side note, I'm currently writing chapter 21 (and that's not the end) so I bumped up the chapter count. Again. Thanks for reading!

Poe looked at his father, mouth ajar. “Dad…”

“No time for any of that,” said Kes, dropping his hand on Poe’s shoulder once more. “But there’s a reason I put this beast back together, and that reason is right here, right now. Your mom wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

Poe nearly lost it at the invocation of Shara Bey, her ship standing tall and proud right in front of him. It was the last piece of her they had, and Poe had already destroyed the thing once. He couldn’t imagine what it had taken for his father to salvage all the pieces, painstakingly put them together. Though he did imagine it was a good distraction from what he was out doing at the time. Either way, it was a godsdamned miracle that the ship was even here and a bigger one that his dad would trust him with its care.

“I’ll do her proud,” he managed to get out, tears thick in his voice. “I’ll do you both proud.”

“That’s all I’ve ever asked for.”

From there it was a mess of logistics and the rote tasks it took to get you airborne. Without a grounds crew, it was up to them to haul the A-wing out of storage with whatever farm tools they could manage. Poe tried not to think about how he was going to be among the stars for the first time in three years as they dragged the ship on a repulsor sled rated for something half its weight, sweat gathering on his brow. 

BB-8, hearing the commotion (and the curses when Poe almost dropped half the ship on his foot), came to investigate.

“I’m going to help out the Resistance. Take out whatever that weapon was,” he said in answer to Bee’s inquisitive beeps. 

He and Kes grunted as they tried to gently set the ship down. Bee gave a whistle.

“Thanks for volunteering, buddy, but there’s no slot in an A-wing for a droid.”

His droid did not appreciate that answer. Go figure, he owned the galaxy’s most stubborn BB unit. Surely it had nothing to do with his owner.

He blinked at the rapid, curse-laden binary issuing from his droid. 

“Who the hells taught you those words?” he demanded, already having a feeling. So it was no surprise when Bee fessed up. “Of course, it was Rey.”

That was when Bee got out the shock prod.

Poe put his hands up immediately. “Whoa, buddy. I know you want to help Rey, but there’s no room.” Bee rolled forward. “Okay, okay! We’ll stuff you behind the seat. Kriff, just put that thing away.”

BB-8 did just that, tootling merrily along the way.

Behind him, Kes gave a chuckle. “I’m starting to think the New Republic wasn’t all that off base with that one.”

Soon enough, they were ready to go, Poe with a hastily packed bag and Bee wedged behind the pilot’s seat without a care in the world while Kes uploaded the coordinates to the Resistance base. With nothing left to do, Poe faced his father.

They exchanged a long look, the words left unsaid between them enough to fill volumes. The Dameron men didn’t talk about these things. It was how they’d survived all these years, every tragedy that befell them. And apparently, they weren’t about to change that now.

So with a final nod, Poe started to climb into the open and waiting cockpit, Kes’s voice stopping him midway.

“Poe?”

He turned. “Yeah?”

“Sorry.”

Poe blinked, waiting for further explanation. Was this finally an apology for the lies and years of secrets? For calling Leia and sending Rey away? “Sorry?”

“It’s a good word. Hells, it’s a magic word. When you see her again, use it. Liberally.” 

He laughed, shaking his head. Of course, Kes wouldn’t be issuing any eleventh hour apologies. And Poe wouldn’t have it any other way. “Thanks, Dad.”

“And don’t forget to give her my love.” His smile was sadder than Poe would have imagined, his guilt shining through.

But Poe was a realist. “If she’ll talk to me.”

“Oh, she’ll talk to you,” insisted Kes, his certainty doing little to bolster Poe’s own.

“You think?” he asked, hating how hopeful he sounded. He wasn’t quite sure he deserved Rey’s forgiveness, at least not yet. 

“I know.” Kes took a deep breath, his exhale coming out as more of a sigh. Regret limned his features, and not for the first time that week Poe thought his father looked old. Tired. “And I suppose I should take my own advice as well. I’m sorry, Poe. I should have told you what was going on.”

It wasn’t exactly what Poe had been looking for, but he’d take it. “Thanks, Dad.” He paused. “So what are you going to do?”

Kes gave a noncommittal shrug. “Same as I always do.” Which wasn’t exactly an answer. “A spy’s work is never done.”

“And some things never change,” said Poe with a laugh and an eyeroll. 

“And some things never change,” repeated Kes. His father turned serious. “Give them hell from us. Go kick some stormtrooper ass.”

“I thought fighting was frowned upon.”

“Not this time, son.” Kes chuckled. “Now, go. You have a galaxy to save.”

With a final clap on the back, he slid into the waiting ship, taking a deep breath as he took in the controls. The instrument panel was a mess of buttons and toggles and switches, so much more complicated than the X-wings he was used to. He hadn’t set foot in one of these since that disastrous flight 16 years ago, the one that prompted his abrupt departure from Yavin 4, but he took a deep breath, letting the long disused skills come back to him, even as he ignored BB-8’s beeped suggestions from just behind him.

That’s right, first he had to ignite the fusion reactor. Then it was on to the displays, the steps coming back to him as if he’d just done this yesterday. Muscle memory. In that moment, it was like his mother was there with him, her scent engulfing him in the closeness of the cockpit as she quietly instructed. 

_ Don’t forget to distribute power to the components. _

Poe did just that, and the A-wing hummed to life around him. There were about a million other pre-flight checks he could or should have completed, but time was ticking away. The Resistance would need all the help they could get against whatever hellish weapon had destroyed the Hosnian System.

With a deep breath and a silent prayer to the Force, Poe hit the button that would lift them off the ground. Time to see if Dad’s repairs stuck.

Take off went smoothly, albeit a little faster than he was expecting, Poe making it out of atmo in record time. He’d forgotten how zippy these things were, especially compared to his steady and stable X-wing. A-wings were built for speed and speed alone. He’d do well to remember that.

The course was charted thanks to Kes, so all that was left to do was make the jump. Poe held his breath as he eased the ship into hyperspace, the jolt dropping his stomach for a split second before the swirling blue overtook his viewport.

He looked down at the map. D’Qar. An odd choice, but when had anything the Resistance done made sense to him?

Now, all he could do was wait. It wasn’t a terribly short jump to D’Qar, but at least the hyperlanes worked in his favor. From the back, Bee suggested he get some sleep - always a good idea when you were about to jump into battle - but Poe found himself too amped up to close his eyes. 

The hours since that weapon had blared through the galaxy were all but a blur. He thought he’d feel some trepidation, a little hesitation to join a group he’d been so reluctant to even just a few days ago. But everything inside him was screaming that this was the right choice. That he was finally righting the wrong he’d committed all those years ago. Though he hated the circumstances, this felt more right than anything had in years. He was where he belonged.

And he must have dozed off for a second, because the next thing he knew was the screaming alarms of his navicomputer. Time to drop out of hyperspace.

The A-wing giving an unholy shudder and wail as realspace replaced the blue swirl of hyperspace, his stomach dropping to his feet. 

Poe took a deep breath. Right. He forgot the ship did that sometimes. Hopefully this time he wouldn’t immediately drop out of the sky afterward.

Thankfully there was no falling, only flying, as the brown and olive green of D’Qar came into view, Poe deftly avoiding the rocky orbital ring to make his way toward the displayed coordinates. It was only after he’d sent the codes Kes had given him that he allowed himself to think about what he was about to do.

His mind raced. He was about to see her again. Would she agree to speak to him? Hear him out? She would be well within her rights to send him away, refuse to so much as look at him again, and Poe couldn’t even blame her. How many chances did he deserve? How many times did he get to turn his back on the right thing before he was completely irredeemable? He was well past second now and rounding third. Hopefully it was more than that.

Anxiety roiled in his gut as the base came into view, a grouping of heavily camouflaged buildings cleverly built into the side of rolling hills. They were good. Unless you knew what you were looking for, the base was all but invisible to the naked eye, a fact that had probably kept them off the First Order’s radar these past few years. Absently, he wondered if that was about to change.

He set the A-wing down on an empty patch of duracrete, half expecting someone to come out and question his being there. But when he opened the transparisteel canopy, what he found was a base on red alert, the pre-battle chaos reigning as pilots and mechanics and droids ran to and fro, prepping for the big show. He walked through it mostly unobserved, curiously detached from the proceedings as he searched and searched for the one face familiar to him to no avail. Finally, he grabbed one of the rebels, a dark-skinned man on his way to what appeared to be the Millennium Falcon. The Millennium fucking Falcon. Poe would have to digest that later.

“Hey, have you seen Rey?” he asked, hoping that the resident Jedi was well known enough that he wouldn’t have to explain further.

The man narrowed his eyes. “Who’s asking?”

“Poe Dameron.” He held out a hand in greeting.

And immediately found himself wrapped into a hug. “You’re Poe Dameron. Rey won’t shut up about you! You actually showed up.”

“Um, that’s me.” Though he couldn’t imagine Rey saying anything positive about him. “And you are…”

The man released him, his smile wide and white. “Finn. My name is Finn.”

Poe blinked, taking in Rey’s best friend. A man he had apparently named. “Nice to meet you, Finn.”

“Nice to meet you, Poe.” 

Silence fell over the two men for a moment, Poe looking around, half expecting to find Rey bounding up to them. When nothing happened, he finally asked, “So, where’s Rey?”

Poe’s heart dropped as Finn’s face fell.

“You should talk to the General.” He didn’t wait for Poe’s assent, simply taking off toward one of the open hangars. “I’ll take you to her.”

For a second, Poe stayed rooted to the spot, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest. Finn didn’t have much of a sabacc face. Something was going on here. Finally, as Finn started to disappear into the fray, Poe found the will to move, jogging to catch up with the former stormtrooper.

“What’s going on?” he asked, dodging a young rebel as she ran toward the X-wings. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Finn looked decidedly nervous as he deflected. “You should talk to--”

But Poe didn’t let him finish, instead grabbing Finn’s shoulder and forcing the other man to face him. “Where. Is. Rey.”

Finn sighed, a look of resignation coating all his features. “The First Order captured her.”

His mind went blank in terror, heart pounding against his ribs. Of all the scenarios he had envisioned, this hadn’t even crossed his mind. He almost had to laugh at his own lack of imagination. 

“How? When?”

“On a mission shortly after the Hosnian Cataclysm,” responded Finn. Poe noted that they’d already named the tragedy, catalogued it into the history books with the rest. “They took her to Starkiller Base.”

As if it couldn’t get any worse. “That thing that blew up the Hosnian System, I presume?”

Finn nodded.

Of course. She just had to be on the very killing machine they were trying to blow up. And was quite possibly trying to blow them up in the meantime. 

But the panic had focused him, cleared his mind of any excess chatter. There was only one thing to do. He turned to Finn.

“Take me to the General.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: here comes the General!
> 
> See you Wednesday!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Leia lay it all on the line before a dark turn of events sends Poe to the front lines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I started the final chapter of this LAST NIGHT. It's happening, it's really happening. Also, by some miracle this will scrape by just before damerey week, so I will not have to bump the little follow-up one shot to this universe that I've already written. 
> 
> Ok, now on to the chapter! Happy reading!

Leia Organa had been expecting him.

That was the only explanation for the warm welcome he received in the base’s central command center, the General not in the least bit surprised to see him.

They had quite the operation going here. Even in the chaos of their impending deployment, Poe could appreciate what they’d built as Finn took him down, down into the heart of the base. There had to be a hundred people running around to 50 stations, maps and readouts and displays glowing in the dim, cave-like room. Roots and vines clung to packed-dirt walls, broadcasting how far underground they actually were. They found the General around a large holotable surrounded by her commanders. Above their heads, a massive sphere spun on an axis, the size unimaginable when compared to the tiny Death Star next to it. But that would mean…

Starkiller Base. Poe swallowed thickly. This was no mere Death Star they were dealing with.

Clearing his throat, Finn made the introduction. “General, this is…”

“Poe Dameron,” she finished for him. Like this had been her plan all along. “Can I assume you’ve changed your mind?”

Something about the way she said it brought out his stubborn streak. “Can I assume we’re actually doing something about the First Order now?” he snapped in response. Immediately, he regretted it.

Instead of answering, she turned to Finn. “Shouldn’t you be on the Falcon right now?”

“Of course, General,” he said, sparing Poe a look of pity. “May the Force be with you.”

“And with you,” she responded. There was a pause, almost as if she was debating whether to say the next words out of her mouth. “Bring her home.”

That certainly piqued Poe’s interest. There was only one “her” they could be talking about, one “her” they were trying to bring home. He immediately felt better knowing that Finn was on the job. If what Rey had told him was true, there was no way Finn would leave without her.

Finn gave a brisk nod. “I will, General. I promise.”

Leia waited for Finn to leave them before locking her eyes on Poe. “Ok, let me have it.”

Poe blinked.

“Come on, don’t you have anything you want to say to me? Any failures you want to rub my nose in? There are quite a few as of late. You have your pick. And you have definitely earned it.” 

The mask she wore was gone, and the woman before him right now was nothing like the cool, calm General he’d now had the misfortune of meeting on two of the worst days of his adult life. Though he did recognize the look in her dark eyes. It was the same emotion he was fighting against every second. Fear. 

Leia Organa was afraid.

“He took her,” she said when he didn’t answer, her voice barely above a whisper. But even in the cacophony of activity around them, Poe heard every word. “He took Rey.”

Poe cocked his head. Why did it sound like she knew whoever took Rey? “He? Who’s he? Hux?”

But rather than answer his question, she posed one of her own. “Have you heard the story about what happened to my son?”

He stared at her. Was this a stalling tactic? A way to distract him from what was going on? Unsure, he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. “Not particularly. Didn’t he have something to do with Skywalker’s disappearance?”

She nodded, taking a deep breath before going on. 

“He was strong with the Force, far stronger than I was. It attracted a certain darkness, and I was afraid that my own training couldn’t stand against that temptation. So, we sent him to Luke.”

Leia’s eyes had gone unfocused as she spoke, staring out into the middle distance. Almost like she was seeing it all play out in front of her. He recognized the expression from Rey.

“Only, the darkness found him anyway. He fell, and took Luke’s entire temple down with him in the process. Anointed himself Kylo Ren.”

Poe’s stomach did a flip. He’d heard whispers of a masked menace, his presence always preceding death and destruction. Kylo Ren. That was Ben Solo?

“Han and I were obviously devastated. I don’t know if we would have made it if Rey hadn’t come along.

“She showed up out of the blue, half-starved and small for 15, but fiercely independent and smart as a whip. Not to mention so strong in the Force it took my breath away.”

At that, she turned to Poe, her gaze focused, intent. “We took her in. I trained her in the ways of the Force, Han worked with her on the Falcon, and she was like a daughter to us.” She seemed to realize what she’d just said, immediately correcting herself. “She  _ is _ like a daughter to us. Han and I were broken and she somehow put us back together.”

Poe let himself imagine that girl once more. Small, lean, maybe a little feral, but still full of that joy for life that he found so infectious. The joy that mended old wounds and put broken pieces back together. 

“She has that effect on people, doesn’t she?” he said lightly, attempting a small smile. 

Leia’s answering grin was sad. “She’s in love with you, you know that, right?”

Poe sputtered, trying to come up with some denial, but the only words he found were, “But it was only four days.”

“Sometimes it only takes one really long, terrible day.” This time, Leia’s smile was genuine. “I’d know.”

This was… not at all what he’d been expecting from Leia. Especially after what he’d pulled on Yavin 4. “She must hate me now.”

“You have to understand, Rey believes wholeheartedly in our cause. And in me. I thought that if I could bring Luke back, he could do something about Ben, fix the mess he’d made. Weaken the First Order. But now the First Order blew up a system, and Ben took Rey, and all my carefully thought out plans just seem ridiculous.” She gave him a small smile, both of them ignoring the tears in her eyes. “You are well within your rights to say I told you so.”

“I don’t believe in kicking someone when they’re down,” he replied with a quirk of his lips. 

That earned Poe his first genuine laugh from Leia Organa. “Well, I have to hand it to Kes. He certainly raised you right.”

But the moment of levity was short-lived. In the next breath, a shadow fell over Leia’s face, something he couldn’t see wiping the smile right off her face.

“Han.” The word was little more than an exhale, Leia going ghostly pale in the harsh overheads.

“Leia?” he asked, genuinely concerned. When she suddenly collapsed, Poe helped her down to a chair. “What happened?”

She was doing that unseeing thing, eyes wide in horror. Finally, her eyes found his, blinking once, twice before finally coming into focus. “Something terrible,” she said, squeezing his hand.

The words sent a chill down his spine.

“Where do you need me?” he asked, zero hesitation. There was no time to second guess or change his mind. He’d go wherever she sent him, whether that was to Starkiller Base or down the hall to grab her a caf. He was in this now. Might as well start acting like that. 

Leia seemed to consider that as she carefully got back to her feet. The color had returned to her cheeks, along with some of that steely determination that had been missing during their conversation. 

“I need you in the sky above Starkiller, doing what you do best. The weapon cannot be allowed to recharge. We’ll send you the coordinates when you’re in the air.”

Poe gave a brisk nod, not waiting around for her to change her mind. 

But Leia’s voice stopped him before he had a chance to leave the room. “And Poe?”

He turned, finding Leia’s face conflicted in the flashing lights of the readouts. “Yes, General?” It was almost laughable how easy it came back, the order and the rules and the hierarchy he’d been sorely lacking these three years. Oh, how he’d missed this.

“I know I should tell you to take the shot if you have it,” she said, clearly conflicted. “To do whatever it takes to bring Starkiller down. But Rey’s on that base…”

It wouldn’t come to that, Poe would make sure of it. But he assured Leia, “I won’t leave until I have confirmation that Rey is on a ship. You have my word.”

“Thank you, Poe.” Leia nodded, and he could tell her eyes were shiny, even at a distance. “And may the Force be with you.”

And then he was running. Up the stairs and through the base and past the now empty hangars and landing strip. Though there was still plenty of activity, not a single battle-ready ship remained. He half expected someone to have commandeered his A-wing, but she was still right where he left her, BB-8 patrolling the duracrete in front. 

Mystery solved why the ship was still there.

BB-8 beeped a question at him. 

“We’re going to save Rey,” he answered, already waving one of the ground crew over. He needed a flight suit. A helmet. Some help to lift his ridiculous droid into the ship. 

Five minutes later, he had all three plus the coordinates of Starkiller Base on the screen in front of him as he left D’Qar’s atmosphere barely an hour after he’d arrived. The stars held no wonder or promise for him this time around, intent as he was on getting to Starkiller and Rey.

The stars stretched and swirled into a blue infinity as he took them into hyperspace, not wasting a single second he’d been given. He knew from what he overheard on base that they were up against something huge, a force they had no business winning against. But there was no other option. And when there was no other option, they won.

Poe leaned back in the seat, letting the swirl of stars lull him to the edge of sleep.

So much had happened in so little time, he hadn’t even had a chance to digest what Leia had told him. He let the knowledge wash over him. Rey was in love with him. 

Obviously, he felt the same, as crazy as that was. Four days. Three nights. That’s all it had taken for him to fall in love with Just Rey and her with him. 

Now, Poe didn’t believe in soulmates or love at first sight. That was the stuff of fairytales, the stories people told their kids before tucking them in for the night. Real love was an act of will, nurtured and tended over time to grow into something more than itself. It took time. Patience. A whole hells of a lot of work. But with every beat of his heart he knew it to be true.

He was in love with her. And he would do anything to get her back, including diving head first into a war.

But that wasn’t the only reason he was here. No, if he was only here to see Rey safe and sound, he could have done that from the comfort of the base, using that brain of his to help Leia call the shots. He had every confidence that Finn could do the job. But something felt far too right about being back in the cockpit, fighting for something he believed in, against a common enemy and against all odds.

It sure as hells beat punching stormtroopers.

At that pleasant memory, his proximity alarm rang out, Poe quickly dropping out of hyperspace and directly into the middle of an all out war.

Immediately, he began evasive maneuvers, slipping past TIEs and all the alphabet wings alike. Green and red laser bolts blanketed the field, indiscriminate about their targets. He was just as likely to catch some friendly fire as he was the enemy.

And that wasn’t even taking into account the strange beam of light being drawn into the planet itself from a nearby star. He had no clue what that was about, but he knew it wasn’t anything good.

It struck him as he dove out of the way of a shifty black TIE/ln that this was the first time he’d been in a real fight. Sure, he’d faced off with a few of these guys with the Yissira Zyde, and on that suicide mission afterwards, but never in a true battle, not like this. Dear gods, the adrenaline. He could get used to this.

But looking around, he realized they were losing. Run after run of fighters were trying to take out some kind of massive machinery to no avail. As he pulled out of his controlled spin and took out another two enemy combatants, his comms chirped to life. 

“Black Leader to unknown A-wing, please identify yourself.” Poe would know Karé’s voice anywhere. Gods, was he glad to hear it.

Poe hit the button to open a channel. “This is Poe Dameron, but you can call me Green Three. Heard you guys were in need of a little back up.”

There was a tense second when Poe wasn’t sure if she was more likely to respond or blow him out of the sky before Karé’s hoarse, barking laughter came over the speakers. 

“All right Dameron, let’s see what you’ve got.”

Poe smiled. Game on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of things. Yes, I know the timeline is a little wonky. It's for dramatic effect. Please forgive me.
> 
> Black Leader. Without Poe in the picture, I'm pretty sure it would be Snap in that role, but it needed to be Karé for reasons. Mainly because I'm pretty sure Snap and Poe only meet in the Resistance, and Black Leader needed to be a friendly face here. So just go with it lol. 
> 
> Next chapter we get the space battle extraordinaire, so buckle up folks! We're getting to the ending in style.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a race against time, Poe and Black Squadron move to take out Starkiller Base.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the beginning of the end folks. One more chapter after this. I somehow managed to finish this beast last week, and I'm so thrilled with how it turned out. 136 pages. Not too bad for what was supposed to be a quick five chapters of farmers market!poe. And just in time for DamereyCreations Week.
> 
> Happy reading!

Poe dodged another laserbolt, blowing up its originator for good measure. That would teach ‘em. Almost instantly, he had another on his tail. Or not. “What’s the objective here, Black Leader? I’m coming in blind.” He slammed his stick to the side, narrowly avoiding a couple of bolts from his newest friend. Gods, these guys were persistent. 

“See that big octagonal building down there?”

“The one everyone keeps hitting to no avail?”

Another barking laugh. “That’s the one. It’s called an oscillator, and we need to blow it sky high. If it goes, it takes the whole planet with it.”

“Sounds easy,” he said, sarcasm dripping from every word. “Shields?”

“Down. But we can’t seem to break through the plating. Too thick.”

Poe tore through the air, taking out a couple of TIEs that were bearing down on an X-wing. “And I take it we’re racing against some kind of clock?”

“How did you know? As soon as the star is gone, we’re toast.”

“So what you’re saying is as long as there’s light, we have a chance.”

Karé’s barking laugh came through the comms. “You always fancied yourself a poet, didn’t you? Let’s see if your flying’s still as pretty as your words.”

“Roger that, Black Leader. Care to join me on a run? Ladies first.”

“And age before beauty. I’ll follow you down.”

Poe laughed as he took the ship lower, lining up to make a run against the oscillator. As he drew close to the surface, the magnitude of the weapon and the size of the base came into sharp relief. This was an entire planet they were trying to blow up. A few dozen light fighters against an entire fucking planet. No wonder Leia wasn’t eager to face them head on.

Finally, he was within range, the targeting system lighting up like a Life Day celebration. Deep breath in, hold it, hold it, then with a pull of the trigger he released a barrage of laserfire and two of his concussion missiles, Karé doing the same a ship length behind him. Poe held his breath. Waited for the explosions to clear. Only to find the oscillator still intact. Not even a scratch on it.

What did they call doing the same thing over and over expecting different results? Oh, that’s right. Insanity.

“It’s no use,” said Karé over the comms. Poe could hear the resignation in her voice. “Black Squadron, Green Three, let’s come around. Take out as many of these TIEs as we can. Give the fighters some room to keep making runs.”

Poe may have been the new kid in town, but that had never stopped him from making his opinion known. 

“And what if we don’t break through in time?”

There was a pregnant pause. Then, “Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Well, that was certainly one way to do it.

Poe pulled up and around, making a wide arch in the inceptor before rejoining the fray. For a while it was just pure instinct guiding him, that battle focus where the entire galaxy narrowed down to you and your next target. The stick was like an extension of himself, the ship obeying his every whim. One, three, seven TIEs down, but it was no use. Every time he looked, more and more bogies appeared on his screen.

“Why aren’t these numbers going down?” he shouted to no one in particular on the comms. 

A male voice answered. “Your guess is as good as mine. A little help here? I’ve got two on my tail I can’t shake.”

“On my way,” he said, coming around and quickly finding the X-wing in question. 

Putting on a burst of speed, he overtook the TIEs, the A-wing easily able to outpace any ship in the field. Though he missed his X-wing, he had to admit this zippy little ship had its perks. So he made quick work of the tails, a couple of well placed shots sending them back to their maker and him onto the next target. 

Three kills later, he picked up a tail of his own. 

A direct hit had every alarm in his ship ringing, more red lights flashing at him than he knew what to do with. Right, this was why he liked the X-wings. Shielding.

“Bee, anywhere you can plug in back there? See what kind of damage we’re working with?”

He didn’t have much hope - these things weren’t exactly built with droids in mind - but by some miracle Bee found a way in to the ship’s interface, putting out fires and bringing systems back online while Poe dodged and weaved the endless barrage of laser bolts.

And then, suddenly, he was free, the TIE that had been plaguing him disappearing in a burst of flame. An X-wing came level with him.

“Thanks for the save,” he said, already picking his next target. “Who am I thanking?”

“Just returning the favor. And it’s Black Two, but you can call me Snap.”

Snap. Karé’s husband, at least according to Rey. “Well thanks anyway, Snap.”

“Guys I hate to break up this lovely moment, but we’re starting to lose the light,” came Karé’s voice over the speaker. Sure enough, when Poe looked up he realized the whole planet had been plunged into twilight. They were officially running out of time.

And still the First Order kept coming. On his radar, the good guys were dropping like flies, disappearing one by one amid screams over the comms. With each loss he pushed himself harder, refusing to let this be the end of it. For this to be the end of them.

Poe wasn’t about to let that happen. “Black Leader, what’s the plan?”

Darkness fell.

Shit. He had no clue how long they’d wait to fire, but the weapon was charged and they were officially on borrowed time.

“Black Leader?” he repeated, growing a little desperate. 

He could hear someone breathing, the cry of another pilot as he took a hit and went silent. No. This was not how they were going out.

Once upon a time, he’d been good at this, the leading, the planning. Some might even say the best. Now it was time to see if he still had it.

“Ok, we need more fire power if we’re going to break through that plating,” he said, making it up as he went along. “So, we’ll take it squadron by squadron. Targeted runs. Everybody hits the same spot, all at once.” Ok, ok, this was coming together. With every word he became a little more decisive, a little more sure. “As soon as one squadron’s done, the next comes up. A constant barrage.” This could work. Question was, would they take orders from a washed up nobody who came late to the party? “Karé, you’re familiar with the ranks, so I’m gonna need you calling squadrons. I’ll fly with Black. If you’re not on a run or on deck, you’re laying cover, keeping those TIEs off our asses long enough to take our shots.”

There was a split second of silence when Poe thought they’d laugh him straight off the comms before he heard Karé’s voice. “You heard the man! Blue, you’re up first. Stiletto on deck!”

Poe watched in amazement as his off-the-cuff plan was implemented right before his eyes, Karé barking out orders and taking roll of who they had left. Sure, it might all be for nothing. They might never penetrate the shielding. But at least they’d go down fighting.

As he brought himself around to join Black Squadron’s formation, a direct comm lit up. A private hail. He flicked the switch to accept.

“Welcome back, Commander Dameron.”

Poe smiled, no response necessary. Time to kick some First Order ass.

Time ceased to have meaning when he dove back into the battle, speeding up and slowing down at will. It was both an eternity and an instant, a moment and godsdamned forever as the squadrons took turns taking aim.

He notched half a dozen more kills in the time it took for Black Squadron’s number to come up, and still, there wasn’t so much as a carbon score on that oscillator. 

Hope was fading fast, and Karé had let Poe take the forward position for their run when something on the surface of the building caught his eye. An explosion. From the inside.

“Dameron, are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Judging by her voice, she certainly didn’t believe it.

Poe laughed, relief flooding through his system. “That depends, Black Leader. Are you seeing a brand new hole in that oscillator?”

Cheers went over the comms as the word spread, Poe’s earlier elation faded as reality crept back. Leia’s parting words rose to the forefront of his mind.

_ I know I should tell you to take the shot if you have it… _

But Rey was on that base. Hidden somewhere within the planet itself. The planet they were now about to blow up. 

“It’s only big enough for one of us. You got this, Poe?” Karé sounded so sure of him.

He’d promised Leia that he wouldn’t leave without her. 

Panicked, he asked, “Does anyone have eyes on the Millennium Falcon? Did it make it off planet?”

Uneasy silence met his question, someone murmuring “Millennium Falcon?” in a semi-incredulous tone over the comms. 

He was wasting precious time, time they most certainly didn’t have now that the star was gone. But thankfully, someone answered.

“No eyes, but sensors put it on the far side of the base. In the forest.”

So she was still on planet. They were getting close, so close he’d have to make the decision now or never. 

“Poe?”

Out of options, he closed his eyes, reaching for that peace he felt near the tree, the power he felt anytime he was near Rey. Once upon a time, he’d say it had no name. But he knew what it was now. The Force. 

It took barely a second before he had his answer.

“I’m going in,” he said, adjusting his course. He could feel her, alive and well. Like a promise in the Force. Now he just had to trust. The rest of the squadron fell back. “Cover me!” 

This time when he went low, it was mere feet above the mechanics, a trench of metal leading straight to that oscillator. He put on a burst of speed, the X-wings keeping the bogies off his back as that hole grew closer and closer.

“Hold on, BB-8,” he managed to shout before he was up and in, the sides of his craft just clearing the burning durasteel on either edge of the opening.

There was no time to pick targets, not at this speed, Poe falling back into that meditative state you only got in the cockpit. One breath, two shots, one breath, two shots, all the way around the room, the bank and curve making the old ship groan ominously. It pressed him into the seat, instruments shaking around him as he made the full revolution in a matter of seconds, pulling up and out of the rented metal in just enough time for the whole place to go up.

Cheers rang over the speaker when his A-wing popped back into view, the oscillator erupting in flames behind him. 

But it wasn’t just the oscillator. No, fault lines were appearing all over the planet, fire chasing across every crack and crevice. They’d been right. The whole planet was going up without it. 

Already, X-wings and A-wings and Y-wings were disappearing, stretching before they snapped out of existence and into hyperspace. Their job was done here.

“Come on, we gotta go before this thing blows!” 

But not Poe’s.

“Not yet,” he shouted, trying not to let the panic overtake him. “I need to find the Millennium Falcon and Rey!”

Beneath him, the ground started to shake, an ominous rumble that meant nothing good.

“Poe, there’s not much time! We’ve got to get back to base!”

“Go! I’m going to check the other side.”

He wasn’t going to keep them here, not when this planet was about to become a supernova. But there was no way he was leaving until he knew for sure.

Setting a course for the far side of what used to be the base, he was shocked a minute later when he saw not one, not two, but five additional ships with him.

“We’re with you, Poe,” said Karé, her and Snap’s X-wings on either side of him. “Black Squadron doesn’t leave anyone behind.”

Something long forgotten inside him swelled at that, the feeling he’d been missing all these years since he left the Navy. Camaraderie, friendship, belonging. But he choked all that down, focusing his considerable attention on searching the ground below.

“Bee, scan the forest. See if there’s anything moving down there.” For once there were no snide remarks or backtalk from his droid, BB-8 just as eager to find Rey as he was.

“I’m picking up an energy signature from the ground,” shouted Snap. “Something’s trying to take off.”

Poe didn’t dare hope, but he shot his A-wing forward anyway, taking off ahead of the group and toward the flashing dot on his screen. Trees crumbled beneath him, a sign of the seismic activity courtesy of the planet’s now unstable core. The ground shifted, molten rock spewing out of every crater. They were out of time.

But there, right at the edge of the forest. Lights. Movement. A very familiar Corellian YT model freighter. 

“All teams, I’ve got eyes on them!” he shouted, not even needing to hail the Falcon to check that Rey was safely on the ship. He knew. Somehow, he just knew. 

They followed the Falcon off the planet, just barely making it out of range before what was left of Starkiller Base exploded into a glowing ball of gas. It would be pretty, he thought absently, if it hadn’t just tried to kill them.

“Our job is done here,” he announced, locking in the coordinates to the Resistance Base. “Let’s go home.”

Home. It was odd how easily it shifted. There was an old saying on Yavin that home is where the heart is. Since his was now with Rey, he knew exactly where that would be.

He hit the switch and let the stars stretch into oblivion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed! See you Wednesday for the reunion and conclusion!


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of Starkiller, Poe and Rey reunite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the last chapter! I went with a soft ending for this one, because *gestures vaguely at the world.* Listen, I needed happy and I'm guessing you may, too. I hope you enjoy and a huge shoutout to everyone who read and kudosed and commented on this thing. Your amazing support has kept me going through some pretty rough times this year. THANK YOU!

It was amazing how long a couple hours could feel when you were racing home to the woman you loved.

Poe had never felt more helpless or nervous as he did watching the stars swirl on his way back to D’Qar. He couldn’t even muster a little excitement from their win, though the adrenaline, and subsequent absence of it, had left him shaky and tired in its wake. Sure, they’d won the battle, but he had a feeling that when he finally saw Rey, he was about to learn the true meaning of war.

Imagine that. He was more scared of the reaction of a single 110 pound woman than he was the whole First Order. Go figure.

Bee wasn’t much help, passing the time in hyperspace by beeping out an entire litany of the things he should apologize for when they landed.

“Ok, ok,” he said, when they were a single parsec out. “I get the picture.”

Finally, the proximity alarm rang out, Poe taking them out of hyperspace with a slightly shaking hand. 

D’Qar came into view, the swirling green and brown a sight for sore eyes. He easily navigated around the ring, his heart ratcheting up with each passing moment as the surface grew larger and larger in the viewport.

This time, the base was alive with a different type of activity, the pre-battle chaos replaced with the elation of victory. Beings of every species met on the duracrete embracing, laughing, some even crying. Stretchers carried the injured. People mourned their dead. 

And among them all, the General stood, there but not really, the rebels flowing past her like water around a stone. Grief shown starkly on her face, the soft lines befitting her age thrown into sharp relief. In his chest, Poe’s heart gave a squeeze. He knew that look. The look of a loss so deep it cut into the fabric of your very soul. 

Rey.

But he’d felt her. He would put his life on it. 

He climbed out of the A-wing robotically, each move jerky and automatic and specifically chosen to get him to Leia in the least amount of time with no memory of actually going there. One second he was in the seat, the next he was standing beside the woman herself.

Leia was watching a patch of empty sky, her eyes not leaving the point, even when she started speaking. “I hear we have you to thank for all our lives. The Ace of Starkiller Base, that’s what they’re calling you.”

Poe’s face heated, but he hadn’t come here to listen to his own praise. “Just doing my job.”

“No, that was some flying, Poe.” Finally, she turned to him, the smile on her face holding a mere fraction of the joy it had earlier that day. No, this smile was sad, rueful, maybe even a touch apologetic. “You saved us all. Don’t downplay it.”

“Then why do you look like we lost the war?” The words were out of his mouth before he’d had a chance to think. 

For her part, Leia huffed out a laugh. Though, it was short-lived, her face quickly dropping into a more serious expression. “Not the war, just the battle for a soul.”

Poe felt his face screw up in confusion, but Leia was already gone, her eyes fixed on that same point again. Only this time when Poe looked up, it wasn’t the slightly grey sky he found, but a ship growing closer by the second. The Millennium Falcon.

It set down without much fanfare, the ion exhaust blowing Poe’s hair off his forehead. He couldn’t think, couldn’t move, could barely even breathe as the ramp lowered, waiting to see if that feeling over Starkiller had been correct.

But he couldn’t quite have that sigh of relief yet, not when the first person off the Falcon wasn’t a person at all, but a Wookiee.

The mighty Chewbacca, a living legend in his own right, roared something in Shyriiwook, and immediately everyone jumped to action. 

“We need a medical team here!”

“Someone get a stretcher!”

That’s when Poe realized there was a body in his arms. 

His mind went blank for a second, panic overtaking all higher functions. That is, until he got a good look at the person in Chewie’s arms.

It was Finn laying there unconscious, his dark head poking out from Chewie’s hairy arms as the Wookiee set him down ever so gently on the stretcher. His heart clenched. Sure, he’d only met the man once, but he was kind and open and it was clear he meant the absolute world to Rey. The medical team wasted no time in whisking him away, though Poe took a deep breath when he heard someone shout, “We’ve got a pulse!”

For a moment, he watched them go, wondering what the hells had happened on Starkiller. Based on the way Leia was acting, something terrible.

But there was nothing terrible about what he found when he turned back toward the Millennium Falcon, an infinitely familiar figure standing at the top of the ramp.

Though it had only been three days, she looked completely different here, in her element. And it had nothing to do with the sandy colored ensemble or the way she did her hair, but the way she held herself, the set of her chin and shoulders as she surveyed the scene around her. There was nothing outwardly wrong with her, no bruises or cuts that he could see, yet something dark lingered in her eyes. Something terrible indeed.

Yet it wasn’t his eyes she was seeking out in the crowd, but those of Leia herself, the two women connecting in a moment Poe swore he could feel. Rey’s chest heaved with a sob before she took off, striding directly into Leia’s waiting arms.

Though slight, Rey’s body absolutely dwarfed the General as the two women embraced, Rey’s soft sobs audible from even a few paces away.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, burying her face further in her mentor’s shoulder. Though, with what he now knew, perhaps “mother” would be a better term. “I tried. But I couldn’t-”

“Shh, shh,” intoned Leia, fondly petting Rey’s hair through her own tears. “It’s okay. I know.”

That’s when it hit him. There should have been another person coming out of the Millennium Falcon. 

The pieces finally came together. Leia’s strange reaction before sending him to Starkiller. The grief written so plainly on her face. The lost soul.

Han Solo was dead.

Suddenly, it felt like he was intruding upon a family moment. Like an interloper at a funeral. He eased himself a step back, meaning to extricate himself from the situation before Rey noticed him, when Leia’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

“I think there’s someone here who’d like to see you,” she said, Poe’s heart threatening to beat out of his chest as Rey followed Leia’s gaze.

And fixed on him.

She stepped back. Disentangled herself from Leia. Turned to face him. All the while, her expression remained carefully neutral, a telltale sign that she was anything but.

As she stared at him, he could feel his pulse beat in his neck, and distantly Poe wondered if he was about to pass out before she took one step forward and then another and then another until she wrapped her arms around him in an absolutely punishing embrace.

“It was you at Starkiller,” she half whispered, half sobbed into his shoulder. “You came back for me.”

For a second, he was so shocked he forgot to put his arms around her, but that was quickly rectified, Poe pulling her even closer as he murmured back, “The entire First Order couldn’t have stopped me if they tried.”

She gave a rather soggy laugh before pulling him down into a kiss, no less searing even with the rather extended audience.

It felt like coming home. Or better yet, that final swoop in your stomach as you entered the atmosphere, when gravity’s inexorable pull took over to bring you in. Inevitable. Unstoppable. Endless.

A throat clearing discretely a few feet away broke them apart, Poe’s face heating when he remembered that yes, Leia Organa was still watching. He subtly adjusted his flight suit.

“I hate to interrupt, but we do have a debriefing in five,” she said, already walking back toward the main hangar. “Shouldn’t be very long. And I’m sure Rey would be happy to bunk up with you for the night. You know, until we can get you your own quarters.” With a wink, she was gone, leaving Poe’s jaw slack.

Rey laughed, cheeks flaming as she buried her face in his shoulder in mortification. 

“Did your master just tell us to get a room?” he asked, looking at Leia’s retreating figure in disbelief. 

“No, my mother did.” 

Poe looked back at her face, taking her words for the confession they were. There was so much they didn’t know about each other. And so much to learn thanks to the half-truths and lies they’d spent the better part of a week telling. But if there was one thing he knew, it was that he’d be happy spending the rest of his life getting to know this woman. Telling their truths. Starting right now.

“I’m sorry,” he said, remembering his father’s words. He rested his forehead against hers. “I should have been there with you.”

Rey placed a hand on cheek, Poe closing his eyes at the touch. It had only been three days, but it felt like a lifetime. “You made it in the end. That’s all that matters.” Then, so soft it was almost a whisper. “I knew you would.”

That was generous, especially since Poe wasn’t even sure about his decision until he was already here. Unsure what to do with all that understanding, Poe did what he did best. Made a joke. 

“Make it? Give me a little more credit than that. I didn’t just make it, I brought that base down.”

“Of course it was you.” He could feel her answering laugh deep in his chest. “It was always gonna be you.”

He let that sink in, looking at the face of the woman he loved. Would things be different if he’d joined the Resistance at the start? He had wasted so much time. But something told him that no matter the choices, no matter the universe, they would have found each other. There was an inevitability about them that he was hard-pressed to deny.

But Rey wasn’t finished. “And I’m sorry for calling you complicit. I may have gone a little overboard on Yavin.”

“I dunno, I may have deserved that.” He chuckled, running a hand over her cheek. Like he couldn’t quite believe she was standing in front of him.

“You didn’t,” she insisted, her certainty comforting. “I wasn’t the only one lost on Yavin 4. It just took me a while to see that.”

Gods, what did he do to deserve this woman? The answer remained a mystery, but he had some idea what he’d do to keep her. And that started now.

“Come on,” he said, tugging her toward the hangar. “Before she sends a search team out. Or the military police.”

Rey laughed, the soft tinkling one that he liked best. 

The celebratory air inside the base was absolutely infectious, a warm undercurrent running through the entire Resistance. You could feel it in the air as they all crowded around that holotable he’d met Leia at earlier, the hologram of Starkiller Base replaced with that snippet of map he’d seen on Yavin 4. 

It hadn’t changed in the three or so days since he’d last seen it, so Poe wasn’t exactly sure what they were doing there, but he was happy, so long as Rey’s hand stayed in his. Which it did.

A hush went over the room as Leia stepped up to the table. 

Despite their own heavy losses, Starkiller had been a rousing victory, decimating the First Order military operation in a way it would take years to come back from. Poe let the numbers wash over him. They’d done it. They’d really done it.

Leia was just starting to go over next steps when a familiar beep from across the room had Poe’s face heating. Oh gods, he’d completely forgotten about Bee. What had his droid managed to get into?

But to his great surprise, the General beckoned the droid forward, followed by none other than R2-D2. Kriff, was everyone here a war hero? An excited murmur went through the room.

He leaned over to Rey. “What’s going on? Why is everyone so surprised to see them?” 

“Artoo’s been in low power mode since Luke disappeared,” she whispered back, unable to keep the wonder from her voice. “No one’s been able to wake him.”

Huh. Go figure. 

Leia was listening carefully to Artoo, Poe’s brows raising as he realized what the droid was saying. 

“Well, go ahead,” she said, and Artoo rolled forward, and the room burst into artificial starlight.

It was a starmap, and a much more complete version than the one Rey had found. And there, among the stars and planets and clusters, a little red line showed the way, eventually disappearing into a missing piece. A missing piece that looked suspiciously like the one Rey had retrieved. 

BB-8 rolled forward, making a request.

Poe looked to Leia for permission, and with her nod he reached over to the table, pulling out the data stick and putting it into Bee’s waiting port. He rolled over to Artoo, bringing up the projection and slipping it perfectly into the missing spot. 

A cheer went up, everyone hugging and patting each other on the back and talking over each other with the good news. Not only had Starkiller been destroyed, but their main objective was complete. They had the map.

Poe and Rey certainly weren’t immune, Rey grabbing the collar of his flight suit and pulling him down for another kiss. “Have I mentioned how much I like you in orange?”

“I’m starting to get the hint,” he murmured into her lips before closing the distance once more.

When they finally parted, Leia was looking up in awe at the projection, her face a picture of hope. “Luke,” she whispered like a lifeline, and Rey stepped over to put an arm around her. Leia leaned into the touch, a single tear making its way down her cheek when she closed her eyes.

Poe couldn’t begin to imagine what they were feeling right now. Years of searching, over in an instant. But on the tail of Han’s death - at least, he assumed that’s what happened - it had to feel a little bittersweet. 

Unsure of whether to stay or go, Poe hovered in uncertainty at the edge of their little group. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” insisted Leia, taking a deep breath. “We’ll be evacuating soon, so lots to do. And I’ll let you two… talk.” She excused herself, leaving Poe and Rey to their own devices.

In the absence of Leia and activity, the silence stretched between them. 

“So,” he said, taking a step closer.

“So,” she parroted, wrapping her arms around his waist. 

“You found Luke. What now?”

She looked thoughtful for all of a second. “Now, we finish this thing. Together.”

He liked the sound of that.

“Come on,” said Rey, her smile spelling trouble. His favorite kind. “I’ll give you the tour.”

“Does that include your quarters?” Sure, they had a lot to talk about, so many things to figure out, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have a little fun in the meantime.

She bit her bottom lip, looking at him from beneath those lashes. “It only includes my quarters.”

Sign. Him. Up.

The swirling blue of hyperspace gave way to the dense black of realspace, a green and blue planet materializing in the viewport. 

Ahch-To. That was the name of the planet, though Poe thought it sounded more like a sneeze than anything else. Ahch-To. Where Luke had been hiding all these years.

He leaned back in his seat as Rey and Chewie brought them down, relegated as he was to a useless chair in the back of the cockpit. When they set out on this journey a few days ago, he’d tried to take the co-pilot’s seat to Rey’s pilot, but was quickly set straight by one very overprotective Wookiee.

So it was the backseat for him as a swirling ocean came into view. It appeared they were headed for a tiny spit of land, barely a rock in the vast, grey ocean that presided over most the planet. He didn’t need to go outside to know it was cold, the grey skies and the grey water and the misting, spraying wind told him all he needed to know.

They set down on a relatively flat patch, Poe looking up, up, up the winding stairs built into the side of a mountain to where they needed to go.

When he’d accepted this mission, he’d imagined a four or five day vacation, hours and hours of hyperspace spent between the sheets in the master bunk of the most famous ship in the galaxy. What he got was a suspicious Wookiee watching his every more and apparently, a climb up a fucking mountain.

He’d always said it was stupid to find Luke.

But he put his own misgivings behind him and turned his attention to Rey. She was practically vibrating out of her skin at the prospect of finally getting to meet Luke Skywalker, this mission the focus of her entire life with the Resistance so far. When he finally stepped off the ship, she was waiting for him, bouncing from foot to foot with a strange piecemeal staff strapped to her back and the Skywalker saber in her hand.

He still couldn’t quite believe it. A lightsaber. That’s what Rey had been after when she’d been caught by Kylo Ren. Poe had held it once, Rey showing him how to flip the activator and turn it on. It felt strange in his hand, far too powerful as he gave it a couple of very careful waves. This was the stuff of legends, the stories he’d grown up on. Still he had trouble recognizing that this was his life now, that he kissed Jedi and flew in the Millennium Falcon and held lightsabers.

And now, they were about to give it over to the most famous man in the galaxy. 

Chewie stayed with the ship as they started up the stone steps hand in hand. Rey was quiet, contemplative as they walked, first side by side and then single file as the steps turned narrow then steep. 

His thighs burned. His knees ached. His breath came in hot puffs, the fog dissipating almost as soon as it appeared. And still the steps kept coming.

Finally, the end was in sight, a wide, mostly flat patch of green taking shape just above their heads. Ahead of him, Rey reached the top, her body going stock still as soon as her feet touched the ground.

He took the last few steps at a jog, joining Rey on the landing and following her gaze toward the cliff beyond.

There, standing with his back to them, was a robed figure that could only be Luke Skywalker. He was outlined in the weak sunlight, tan robes waving in the ever present wind as he stared out into the water on the edge of a cliff. Distantly, Poe could hear the crash and fury of the ocean, the call of the strange little chubby birds that seemed to overrun the island. It was all very dramatic. 

Meanwhile, Rey was still frozen next to him, her eyes locked on the Jedi Master. Poe knew what this meant to her, 

“Rey?” he whispered, unsure if he should bring her out of whatever trance she’d entered. 

She looked at him, blinking rapidly, like she hadn’t realized he was standing there. 

“Should we…” he trailed off, nodding his head toward the mythical figure in the distance. 

“Right. Yes.” 

That seemed to unstick her, and she took a tentative step forward. And then a more firm one. And then another until she stopped a few feet from the figure in front of her.

Of course, he sensed her there, turning around as he lowered his hood to reveal the grizzled man beneath. 

Even from a distance, Poe heard her sharp intake of breath, watching as she looked down at the saber in her hand before stretching it out to the man in front of her.

For a split second, Luke’s crystal blue eyes latched on to Poe’s, a scowl on his lined face. Poe blanched. Shit, wasn’t there something about Jedi and attachment? Maybe it hadn’t been the best idea for Rey to bring her boyfriend with her on this particular mission.

But Luke was already moving on, his eyes now trained on the saber. Carefully, so carefully, he took it from her hand with both of his - one flesh, one metal - turning it over as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. Then, looking up, he made eye contact with Rey, the look of hope on her face enough to break Poe’s heart...

And promptly pitched the saber over his shoulder.

Poe’s eyes widened in surprise, and he could feel the shock and yes, even a little hurt from Rey as Luke started to walk away.

But just as quickly, that shock and hurt calcified into anger, Rey putting out her hand in a movement Poe recognized.

Sure enough the saber jumped from wherever it had fallen and into her waiting palm, Poe barely registering the satisfying slap before she’d ignited the saber and had it pointing directly at Luke’s throat.

“Not so fast, Master Skywalker,” she said, inching the blade so close it could probably double as a razor. “We need to chat.”

Well, that was certainly not how he’d thought that would go.

Poe huffed out a laugh as he stepped between them, trying to prevent the woman he loved from fileting the last living Jedi master. Apparently, this was his life now. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where I'd normally put my cheesy "that's all she wrote, literally" (listen folks, I have one joke, just let me have it), buuuuuut, in this case that's not all she wrote. That's right, there's a follow up one-shot called "A Modest Proposal" coming to a DamereyCreations Week near you. So keep your eyes peeled on Tuesday if you want to see a little more about where these crazy kids end up.
> 
> THANK YOU FOR READING!
> 
> Seriously.


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